The Prince and the King!
by ThePunMaster
Summary: AU - Masaomi decides to move back to Ikebukuro, his hometown. There he lives with his best friend, Mikado. Their neighbor happens to be Izaya, the King of Raira, Ikebukuro even, who also happens to throw parties whenever he can. Once Masaomi and Izaya meet, sudden emotions and feelings bloom. What is it? Will it work out or will they loathe each other in the end? {Read and Review!}
1. Chapter 1 - Beginning of the Adventure!

**Here's the full summary (FSI): ****AU – Masaomi Kida makes the decision to move back to Ikebukuro after years of living in a different city and continue his life by living with his best friend, Mikado Ryugamine. Their neighbor happens to be the King of Raira Academy, Izaya Orihara, who also happens to throw obnoxiously loud parties whenever he gets the chance. After Izaya and Masaomi encounter each other, sudden feelings start to bloom. What is it? Will it work out? Or will other things get between them and make them loathe each other?**

**AN: Hello, hello! Thanks for checking my story out! I truly do appreciate it! So, this chapter may be a bit on the long side. I believe it was 7,787 words long. Not including the AN, Disclaimer, etc. So, bare with me. Please. The next few chapters shouldn't be as long. Maybe in the 5,000. Or if you, the readers, want it to be in the 7,000 and up, let me know in a review! I'll try to make that happen. c: Updates may be a bit delayed due to any schoolwork I may have, or issues in real life. If ya want faster updates, there is only one solution. REVIEW! Reviews give me motivation, so yeah.**

**A quick important note is that Izaya, Shizuo, ****Namie, and a few others are deaged. Instead of being in their 20's and up, they're in their teens. It had to be that way for the flow of the story to work. If you wanted them to be their real age, that would be a lot of failed graduates. Just saying...but then again. This _is_ an AU so... ****I tried to make the texting scene as understandable and simple as I could. Here's a key. The key'll change for every text scene. In this scene it's just these two for now. I'll put a key in every chapter that has a texting scene. **

_**Bold and Italics = Izaya**_

**Bold = Namie**

**Disclaimer: Durarara! and anything mentioned in this story does not belong to me, the author of this fanfiction. Everything belongs to their respected owners. **

**Enjoy, and don't forget to REVIEW. Pleeeeaaassee. I'll give ya a cookie.**

* * *

Chapter 1

So, it begins...

Exhausted, yet excited. That's what the fifteen year old blonde felt at the moment. He tilted his head so that it was resting against the spot free glass window, quietly watching as buildings, houses, and the like passed by with an expression of pure boredom. The name of this teenager, you ask? Masaomi, Kida Masaomi. You must also be wondering why he was exhausted, yet excited at the same time, who wouldn't? Interesting story to say the least. Actually, it's not _that_ interesting, but honestly who cares? Masaomi was finally going back to his hometown, Ikebukuro. He had moved from Ikebukuro when he was in his first few years of elementary school and hasn't returned since. Today, that all changed though. To make it even better, he was going to live with his best friend, Ryugamine Mikado. They've known each other since they were in diapers.

Mikado lived alone since his parents were always travelling due to business and all that stuff that Masaomi could really care less about. That all but left room for Masaomi to move in with Mikado, so he was grateful that they didn't live with him, although he was sure they wouldn't mind and there was plenty of room even if they did live with him. It's not that the blonde hated Mikado's parents, it was really the opposite. He loved Mikado's parents; they were like his second parents. From what he knew of the couple, they were kind and gentle people, much like their son. He was positive that they wouldn't mind if Masaomi moved in or not, they appeared to like Masaomi a lot, so thank God for that. Older folks didn't like Masaomi because of how reckless he was, but the blonde didn't mind. On the bad side, Mikado's parents had short tempers, do one thing to piss them off and they'll scold your ear off. But really, isn't that how all adults are?

Reason behind why Masaomi enjoyed the fact that Mikado's parents didn't live with him was that Masaomi liked living without an adult in the house. It gave him all the freedom that he desired. Of course, Mikado would scold him every now and then for something stupid he would do, like that one time Masaomi had the great idea to put thumbtacks on their substitute teacher's chair. Yeah, Masaomi really didn't like her; she pissed him off with all that yelling she did. Masaomi could handle being scolded by his best friend though, if it were an adult, it would only succeeded in making the blonde want to cause more trouble.

Now, Masaomi didn't hate adults, he just had this dislike for a few—okay, a lot of them. It just the way adults would look at him, or anyone for that matter, when they were scolding him for something ridiculous he had done. They acted like stuck-up, know-it-all, snobs who had never done something similar when they were young, when in reality they must have done at least _one_ thing that could be known as ridiculous. He hated the way they would look at him the most, with that look of pure utter disappointment and disgust. He _was _old enough to know what he should and should not do for Christ's sake! Even though, he _was _allowed to make a mistake or two here and there. He _was _only in his teens, still growing up, of course he wanted to fool around a bit. They would have too if they were his age, that's what kids were made for. To have some fun! So, yes, he was a bit iffy with currents society's adults. He was determined to not become like them, but enough about this, let's get back onto topic.

Mikado lived in a two story house; it had four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a nicely sized kitchen and living area, along with a good sized backyard that was great for cook outs. Three of the four bedrooms were used for sleeping purposes while the other was used for studying and the like. The largest was Mr. and Mrs. Ryugamine's room, one of the three more normal sized bedrooms was Mikado's, the other, that would soon be Masaomi's room was the guest room, not that Mikado had many guests that stayed over, and the last was the office.

By now, you're probably—or not—wondering why Masaomi had decided to move back to his hometown, Ikebukuro, after years and years of living in the country. In all honesty, there was no main reason as to why he made the decision other than he wanted to get away from his parents and show that he could live without them. To show them that he wasn't as hopeless as they might believe. There was also more freedom and chances for adventure that he longed. Another bonus was that he got to see his best friend in the whole word again. How cool was that?

The fifteen year old sighed, praying in his head to whatever God may be up there and currently listening to requests that he would arrive at his destination _soon._ As of now, he was riding in a cab, listening to the male driving singing off key to whatever damn song was playing on the radio, if he wasn't so damn tired, he may have been able to put up with it. Hell, he probably would've started to sing along. But, unfortunately, he was tired and on the border line of anger. The singing was beginning to give him a headache, the smell of cigarettes was high in the air which only succeeded in making Masaomi's nose wrinkle in disgust, he never liked those things, and he was sorta upset that Mikado failed to come and pick him up like he had promised.

As soon as Masaomi got out of the station, he sat down on the curb, waiting for the arrival of his best friend who should have been there by now, but—surprise—wasn't. The cab driver must have been watching the blonde and took pity on the poor kid and decided to give him a discounted ride. Masaomi was prepared to walk all the way to Mikado's, it would be nice to do some walking down memory lane, but the driver kindly offered, so therefore, Masaomi being as tired as he was, accepted. Now, here he was, sitting in the backseat, backpack having been tossed carelessly to his side. He had only brought along a backpack with him due to the fact that he didn't bring much, thinking that there was no point in bringing along so much when he could just buy it all again later. Besides, he wasn't planning on staying so long, maybe for just a year, depending on how everything played out.

All he had brought along in his backpack, consisted of a couple changes of clothes, a few manga that he just couldn't live without, his mp3 player, laptop, game console, and his ear buds, along with what he currently had on him which was some black jeans, a cream sweater, yellow converse, and his phone. Like stated earlier, he didn't bring much since he found it unnecessary. Masaomi reached for his backpack and placed it in his lap; he unzipped the front pocket zipper, threw his hand in and searched around for the little mp3 player and ear buds that he had brought along. Once the two items were found, he connected them, placed the buds in his ear, hit play, and rested his head against the window once again. Silently humming to the current song that was playing from his mp3 player to himself.

After what felt like decades of waiting for Mikado's humble home to come into view, it did. Much to the blonde's relief. The cab came to a stop as soon as they reached the driveway; the driver pulled out a cigar and lighted it, patiently waiting for the blonde to get out so he could go to wherever it is he would go after this. Throwing the door open, Masaomi stepped out and threw his bag over his shoulder, he paid the cab driver and left a little tip and silently watched as he drove away, headed back for the main street. "Masaomi! Is that you?"

Said blonde turned around to the sudden source of noise, confusion etched on to his handsome features, once he got a clear look of who it was that called his name, a grin broke out onto his face. "Mikado? Yeah, it's me! Man, it's been too long, buddy. Waaaay too long. C'mere ol' pal!" Masaomi dropped his bag onto the sidewalk, hoping nothing broke in the process, and pounced on his childhood friend. Mikado wasn't expecting the sudden pounce that Masaomi had thrown at him and ended up falling to the ground, the blonde following along and landing onto the unfortunate dark haired male. Masaomi casually wrapped an arm around the dark haired male's neck and ruffled his hair as soon as they were back onto their own two feet, instead of lying on the pavement. "Man, you sure haven't changed, huh? You look the same as  
you did in grade school."

Mikado smiled a bit and rolled his eyes at his best friends antics, things just never seemed to change. Masaomi always had been all for physical contact, ignoring Mikado's protest for personal space when they were younger. "Hah, look at you! You haven't changed much either. The only thing really different about you is your voice and hair color. It's blonde instead of brown. Actually, it looks nice this way. It really suits you well." Masaomi's grin grew tenfold at those few words, "Aw, thanks buddy! Yeah, I look like a real lady killer, don't I?" Mikado snorted at that, rolling his eyes once again, being used to this after all.

Fate may have been cruel enough to separate them for a majority of their life, but that didn't stop them from conversing on a daily basis. They would text each other, email, or even Skype. That's how they kept up with each other. They chatted at least once a day, if not every other day. They would inform each other of how their day went, what they thought about the new release for their favorite manga was like, same for the new episode of an anime, they talked about anything and everything a kid their age might talk about.

"I'm really sorry I couldn't meet you at the station. I had this last minute meeting with the Student Council and that lasted for hours! I was so exhausted that when I got home and sat on the couch, I fell asleep! When I woke up again, it was already thirty minutes passed our—"

"Mikado, not to be rude or anything, but shut up for a second, would ya?" Masaomi interrupted by placing his hand over his best friend's mouth to keep him silent, all while grinning, amused by Mikado's panicked, worried, and stressed expression. "I don't mind, really. I know how tiring it must be for someone of your status to be in the Student Council."

"Yeah, thanks for being so understanding, Masaomi—Hey! What do you mean, 'someone of your status'?!" Mikado went red in embarrassment, or was it anger? Masaomi couldn't exactly tell, but it sure as hell didn't stop him from laughing his ass off. "What? I don't recall saying that. Mikado, are you hearing things now?" Masaomi teased, loving the look of annoyance that rested on Mikado's face. "Masaomi! I'm being serious here!"

Masaomi removed his arm that had still hung around Mikado's shoulder and into his pants pocket. "Don't worry about it. I was just teasing you a little, honestly. Lighten up! Now, come on. Let's go inside. I'm kinda tired. Remind me to never travel by sub again. Those people I sat with were so annoying. Oh, and don't get me started with my cab driver, I mean, yeah. He was nice enough to give me a discount and all, but his singing! Oh my God, and you said my singing was terrible. The whole cab reeked of cigars too! So anyways, there was this lady sitting a few seats away from me and she was on her phone with her boyfriend or something. He must've been breaking up with her, 'cause she was crying her heart out and begging him not to leave her and yada yada. It was annoying, but that guy annoyed me even more. I mean, who breaks up with somebody over the _phone_? I would _never_ do that. Ugh, then there was that arguing couple. Couples these days just seem to be fighting nonstop. The girl had seemed to think that her boyfriend was cheating on her for some reason with this other girl from school named Anri who, from the her _and_ his perspective, had a nice rack or whatever and—"

This time, it was Mikado who placed his hand on Masaomi's mouth in order to shut him up. "Masaomi, with all due respect. I'm sure your story is uh, interesting, but please shut up. I'd personally rather not know what happened on your trip here, thank you very much." Masaomi laughed at the sighing Mikado and attempted to apologize, but it all came out muffled since Mikado's hand was still covering his mouth. After knowing for a fact—hopefully—that the blonde wouldn't tell anymore unnecessary stories about his ridiculous trip on the subway, he removed his hand and started walking up the steps into his house. Masaomi picked up his bag and then followed suit, grin still present on his face.

After opening his front door and walking inside, being kind enough to hold it open for the blonde, he finally noticed Masaomi's luggage and furrowed his brows in confusion. "You only brought along a backpack?" The dark haired male asked, obviously expecting the blonde to bring more. He had got a good look of Masaomi's room when they had video chatted for the first time and the blonde seemed to be protective of most things in his room, since one time when they were video chatting, his mother came in and tried convincing him to get rid of a bunch of things, but Masaomi refused and told her to get out before he calls the cops on her saying that she was trying to throw away all of his precious family jewels. After rolling her eyes and saying hello to Mikado, she complied with her sons wishes, saying that she would convince him soon.

Masaomi was busy, admiring the spotlessness and size of Mikado's home to properly process what Mikado had said. Everything was so clean and the house _was_ pretty huge. He would have never been able to do all this. The living area which was the first thing you saw as soon as you entered was pretty large. About party sized. The stairs leading up to the second floor were placed at the back in the middle of the room. A door was placed on the left of the stair case which leads to the kitchen. On the other side was another door which was a small coat closet. Under the stairs was another door which Masaomi's learned was a guest restroom, which was pretty neat. Upstairs was balcony like, if a person were to stand up stairs they could easily look over the railing and watch everything that went on below. There were five doors on the second floor. Three of them were the bedrooms, one the office, and the last a restroom.

"Hm? Oh yeah, I'll just buy everything else I might need later. Dang, Mikado, it's real clean here. How do you keep it so clean, you couldn't have done all this cleaning yourself! It's way too much to clean on your own." Masaomi said, amazed at how clean and tidy it was. It's not like Masaomi's room was a mess, it had a few wrappers and the like scattered about, but it wasn't too dirty. It gave it that homey feel. Mikado's house was like one of those rich people's houses. Not a speck of dust to be seen. This, in the blonde's opinion wasn't so homey. That'll change soon enough though, since Masaomi would live here from now on.

Mikado let out a laugh at his reaction, "It's real clean because I take the time every day to do some cleaning unlike some blonde fifteen year old that only cleans his room once a year." Masaomi had faked the hurt look and placed a hand over his heart in a dramatic way. "I'm hurt, Mikado. I really am. Your words are like a knife being shoved into my heart." Mikado simply rolled his eyes at the scene. "Oh, and for the record, I do not clean my room once a year. I clean it once a month!" He stuck his tongue out in a childish manner and laughed, running into the kitchen shouting something about how it was time to quench his thirst. "My journey here has been a long one, indeed. I have had to travel across the desert, the seven seas that only the great Sinbad was able to conquer, and much more. Every night that I lay awake, I began to wonder, will I make it out alive? Will I live to see the light of day? Or would I die from dehydration instead? The God's above must have heard my pleas to live on and I survived. Managing to make it here in one piece and see my best friend in this whole entire cruel world. Oh, what a feat have I completed."

He said in a voice that had the accent of someone who lived many decades ago, basically an actor's voice. Or what Masaomi believed was an actor's voice. Sometime in the middle of his little rant, he had closed his eyes. He now opened one and looked at Mikado who was leaning on the table for support, trying to contain his laughter. "First of all, Masaomi cleaning it once a month doesn't make it any better. At least clean it every other week. Oh, and yeah. A big feat indeed." Mikado used the same tone of voice that Masaomi had used for his last sentence, all while rolling his eyes, watching with an amused look in his eyes as his best friend pranced around the room, pretending to slay dragons or whatever, while muttering small curses. "Mikado. Where on Earth do you keep the damn cups?" Masaomi looked at his friend after slaying one last… whatever, with an annoyed and defeated look.

Mikado had to resist the urge to burst into a fit of laughter at the look of distress on the blonde's face. "Cups? I have no cups on Earth. I stored them all on Mars." He joked lightly; his response caused Masaomi to gasp. "I was right! You _are_ an alien!" Masaomi threw open the nearest drawer and rummaged around, looking for a good weapon. He settled on a _spatula_. With his spatula in his hand he started swinging it at Mikado, "I won't let an alien like yourself brain wash me. You're no match for me! I've won dozens of wars that have been thrown in my face! Hah!"

Mikado grabbed a pan and countered every one of Masaomi's attacks, laughing, deciding it would be nice to go along with his little joke. "You foolish human. You are no match for me. The King of all Aliens. I _will_ succeed in brain washing you and make you my loyal servant. Like I have done to several others before you. You are mistaken, human. It is _you_, who is no match for _me. _Besides, what could you do to me with a _spatula?"_ Masaomi let out a few curses and not being able to land a single hit, to make it seem more realistic, when in reality, he was making sure that he didn't hit Mikado. Mikado noticed, but didn't care. He was more worried about the spatula breaking than getting hit himself.

"Oh shut up, ya damn alien. Don't question the spatula. It works many wonders." Mikado grabbed a stirring spoon and –gently—stabbed Masaomi in the torso. Masaomi's eyes widened and he dropped the spatula and grabbed onto his wound, trying to stop the—imaginary—blood from pouring out. Dropping to his knees, he coughed out –once again imaginary—blood. He sent a playful glare up at Mikado, the Alien King. "This is not the end, Alien King." Mikado set the pan back where it belonged, and looked at blonde that had collapsed onto his knees. "Not the end? Hah, you amuse me, human. You're bleeding to death, yet you still speak with such arrogance. Humans truly are foolish. Now, I didn't want to kill you, but you leave me no choice."

Mikado stabbed—gently, sure he was the Alien King, but he didn't want to hurt his best friend, not that a _stirring spoon_ could do much damage. Like Masaomi had said, don't question it. It works wonders.—, the stirring spoon into Masaomi's chest where his heart would be. The blonde let out another gasp of pain and coughed out some more blood. "This…This is not the end… The Gods are in my favor… They…They will grant me with reincarnation and I… I will come after you… I will kill you then… I… I swear it… Be ready… You disgusting alien…" Masaomi then fully collapsed onto the ground and shut his eyes, jokingly sticking his tongue out, pretending to be dead.

Mikado picked up the spatula and put it away along with the spoon. "Cupboard on the right of the stove. Not the one the bottom. The one on top. Who in the world stores their cups in the bottom cupboards Masaomi?" Mikado spoke up after a few seconds of silence, chuckling at their recent little adventure. "I would, actually." Masaomi said with a lopsided grin, standing up. "Man, who knew you were such a good actor! Aha! Here you offending things are! It's about damn time… I'm dying of thirst here." Masaomi grabbed a glass cup and waltzed over to the fridge. He examined the contents and then settled for some juice. He filled his cup up, placed the juice away and took a sip. Sighing in content afterwards, seating himself down onto the nearest stool by the fridge.

"You weren't so bad yourself. Anyways, you want anything to eat? If you're hungry, I can make you something. You must be starving after your adventure here." Masaomi grinned and shook his head, "Nah, I'm good. Just a bit sleepy. Mind showing to my room? I'm going to unpack, take a quick shower, and then head to bed. It's getting pretty late. I'll probably finish around nine thirty or so."

Mikado nodded his head in understanding and waited for the blonde to finish his cup of juice before leading the way up to Masaomi's new room. "I understand. Do you want any help unpacking or anything?" Masaomi finished his juice and then carefully set it in the sink, "No, that's okay. I got it. I'm a big boy now. Thanks for offerin' though." Mikado smiled and nodded, then proceeded leading the way upstairs.

Masaomi's room was the closest to the restroom; it actually was the room on the right of the restroom. The office was the room on the left of the restroom, Mikado had told him. Masaomi also was told that Mikado's room was next to the blonde's, and next to Mikado's was Mikado's parent's room. Mikado opened the door to Masaomi's new room and stepped inside. Inside, a bed big enough to fit two people was set along the wall next to the window; on the other side of the window was a desk that had a lamp on it and bookcase that had a few books already in it. Masaomi was told that Mikado had put books that he for sure knew the blonde would like, Masaomi made a mental note to read them all later on during his stay, not that he would succeed with that. On one side by the door, a small dresser sat against the wall, on the other side of the door a flat screen TV sat on top of a tinier dresser. Next to the bookcase was Masaomi's closet, it was a pretty decent size, there was much more room than he would need, that's for sure. By his bed, there was another door that was his own little restroom, which Masaomi appreciated way more than he should have.

"It's not much, but I hope it works for you." Mikado scratched his cheeks awkwardly. "It's fine, Mikado. I really like that personal restroom…" Mikado blinked in bewilderment and then laughed. "Of course you would. Well, I'll let you get to work then. If you need me, I'll be in my room working on homework from Friday that I never ended up finishing." Masaomi nodded and shooed Mikado away, wishing him good luck on the homework.

Masaomi set his bag on the bed and sighed, giving the room once last look over before getting up off his lazy ass and start unpacking. As soon as he finished, his assumptions were right, he had some extra space in his closet and dresser, but that may have been due to the fact that he didn't bring much clothes and stuff. The manga he had brought along with him were put on the empty shelf of the bookcase that Mikado had left, his laptop, mp3 player, phone, game console, and ear buds were tossed onto the desk that was set in the corner of the room. Like he had planned, as soon as he finished unpacking, he hopped into the shower. Once he was done showering, he tossed on a sleeveless shirt and some shorts. He stepped out of his bathroom and sat on his bed drying his hair with a towel. Tossing the towel carelessly onto the bed, he stood up and walked downstairs into the kitchen to get some more juice to drink before settling in for the night.

"Oh, done already?" Mikado turned to look at Masaomi and ask, Masaomi nodded, "Just came to get one last glass of juice before heading to bed. You done with your homework?" The blonde threw his own question out at the dark haired male while he grabbed a glass cup from the cupboard and walked over to the fridge to proceed and fill his cup up with the orange juice. "No, not yet. I came down here for a little snack though. I'm almost done. Just have one more page of math to do and then I'll head to bed." Mikado took a sip of his glass of water, watching as Masaomi took a sip of his glass of juice.

Masaomi nodded his head in understanding, suppressing a shudder at the thought of having homework. He always hated the damn thing, still does actually. He just hoped that his teachers at Raira would be kind enough to not give him so much like how his old teachers had done. "Well, I'm going to head back to my room and finish up my homework, alright? Goodnight, Masaomi. See you in the morning." Masaomi smiled and gave a small wave. "Night, and yeah. See ya later!"

With that, Mikado walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs to his room. The blonde chugged down the rest of his juice, rinsed it and set it in the sink, and then walked back up stairs and headed to bed for the day. He was exhausted and was glad to finally get some much needed sleep. Tomorrow was sure to be another eventful day and he would need all of his energy if he wanted to get through it without any problems.

* * *

Masaomi had woken up to the smell of bacon and eggs coming from downstairs, slowly, he sat up and yawned. He rubbed his eyes and walked over to his desk, where his phone lay. He turned it on and checked the time. _7:38AM? It's way too damn early for me to be up and it's not even a school day! Damn you sense of smell and hunger. For making me wake up…Ugh…_

Tossing his phone lazily onto his bed, he went into his restroom to take a leak and brush his teeth, since going back to sleep wasn't an option on his options list. Since his stomach—quite rudely—made it known that it wouldn't be allowing the blonde to get anymore rest for the day. After finishing up his business in the restroom, he proceeded down stairs to the kitchen, much like a zombie, except without the groaning and a bit faster. He was greeted by Mikado's back, who hadn't taken notice to the blonde who had come in, or maybe he had, but just didn't say anything. Either way, he seemed much too focused on his cooking.

Masaomi would never let up a chance to freak his best friend out, so using his ninja and assassin skills; he walked up behind Mikado and wrapped his arms around the male's waist, succeeding in making the shorter jump in alarm. Mikado spared a glance the blonde's way and let out a sigh of relief, "M-Masaomi! You scared me!" Masaomi rested his chin on Mikado's shoulder, grinning lazily. "Duh, that was the entire point of my mission. I'm surprised the feared Alien King would get so scared over one of his servants sneaking up on him. Mmm… it smells good. Is it almost done? Do you need my help?"

A light blush formed on the shorter male's cheeks when he realized their proximity, but much to his relief, Masaomi didn't notice, or if he had, he thankfully didn't mention it. "A-Alien King? Oh, that's right. You should've been careful, Masaomi. I could've used my kingly powers to dispose of you." Masaomi let out a chuckle at that. "Pfft—as if! I'm way too strong to get killed by an alien."

"That's what you say, but I seem to recall shoving my stirring spoon into your heart. How are you even still alive?" Mikado joked, "Anyways, I'm almost done here and no, I don't need help from a human who was killed by a stirring spoon." Masaomi hmphed. "Remember? The Gods were kind enough to reincarnate me! Fine then. I didn't want to help an Alien King anyways."

"Just get our drinks ready, okay?" Masaomi nodded and let go of Mikado's waist and brought out two glass cups and set them down on the table. "You want some juice?" Mikado nodded his head and made a small sound of approval. After getting approval from Mikado, Masaomi brought out the juice bottle out from it's home in the fridge like he had done so twice yesterday and poured juice into their cups, letting out another yawn in the process. Oh, how he hated waking up early, it took him awhile to fully wake up. Took him even longer if he was running on an empty stomach.

After setting the jug back inside, he sat down and waited for his share of breakfast. By the time he sat down, Mikado had finished all the finishing touches needed for their breakfast and was placing the meal onto two glass plates. Afterwards, he turned the stove off and picked up their plates, walking on over to the table. "Here you go. It's just some bacon and eggs, but I hope you like it." Mikado said, setting down the plate in front of the blonde before taking a seat and taking a bite of his own food.

"Mmm… it's eggcellent, Mikado." Masaomi complimented as soon as he took a bite, Mikado chuckled at the pun that was used. "Well, I'm glad it was up to your eggspectations!" Masaomi laughed, "I have taught you well, young grasshopper. I have taught you well." Rolling his eyes, Mikado continued on with his meal. "Say, it's rare for you to be up at this hour on the weekend. Especially on Sundays, you decide to sleep in for as long as you can, don't you? It's not exactly early right now, but whatever. Why the sudden change?"

Masaomi groaned and crossed his arms in a pout, much like a child who had gotten their favorite toy taken away from them would have. "It's not like I _chose_ to get up this early. My damn stomach chose to wake me up." Mikado blinked, trying to process what the blonde had just said. Once the process was complete, he burst into a fit of laughter. "Ah, I thought so. I had asked if you were hungry yesterday, but you said no. So, you really only have yourself to blame."

Leaning over the table, Masaomi flicked Mikado on the forehead, efficiently silencing the laughing male. "You're so cruel, Mikado. Ever since I arrived, you've been trying your hardest to humiliate me. I'm offended." Mikado just laughed harder, oh how he missed Masaomi. It really had been too long. Communicating over the internet just wasn't enough. "Oh, suck it up, Masaomi."

After a few more minutes of their pointless bickering, the two had finished their meal and moved on over to the living room to watch the reruns of Naruto just for the heck of it. The reruns must have just started, considering where in the series they were at. The current episode was the one where Naruto and Sasuke accidentally kissed, which was one of the very first few episodes. If Masaomi had remembered correctly, it was episode three. He could be wrong though. It has been awhile since he last watched these episodes anyways. Sometime during the episode, Mikado had tossed a Pocky box to Masaomi, who took it gratefully. Oh, God knows how much he loves Pocky.

"Hey, Masaomi. I'm going to make a quick run to the grocery store. I'm low on food supplies. Is there anything in specific you want me to buy?" Mikado asked, standing up to stretch and grab his wallet so he could make a quick run to the store at the corner of the block. "Hm, nah. Just buy me some more Pocky, okay? You know how much I dig this stuff. While you go on an adventure to capture more servants, I'll be watching reruns of Naruto. Have fun!"

Mikado rolled his eyes, he had a feeling that this whole Alien King thing wouldn't go away for a while. He didn't necessarily mind though. "Alright, I'll be back in a few. Don't destroy anything while I'm gone. I don't have enough money to be making any repairs." Masaomi snorted, but nodded. Then, Mikado was gone, leaving the blonde to his Pocky and Naruto reruns.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the two story house next door, a certain raven haired male had let out a yawn while walking down the stairs and into his kitchen. This male's name was Orihara Izaya, also known as the King of Raira, and several more nicknames. Most being ones Izaya dislike, for example Flea. Oh how he loathed them. Izaya had two sisters, Orihara Mairu and Orihara Kururi. Instead of going to wake them up, he settled on letting them sleep in for as long as they wished. It _was_ Sunday after all. The real reason he chose to not wake them up though was due to the fact that they never ceased to annoy him.

Izaya had begun to make himself some pancakes and brew himself a cup of coffee, just to give him a little kick of energy, so that he could start the day without walking around like a zombie like most people do. He set his freshly made pancakes that lay on a glass plate onto the marble table, then grabbed his cup of coffee and took a sip. "…Tastes a bit bitter." He set the coffee cup onto the table next to his uneaten pancakes and went to the jar of sugar that sat on the counter, he lifted the cover and a frown formed onto his devilishly handsome features.

"Damn it, we're out of sugar. I bet Mairu and Kururi used it all up yesterday. I'll have to send them shopping…" The last shopping trip Izaya had sent Mairu and Kururi on came flooding back to Izaya the moment he said those last few words and sighed. "On second thought, I'll just have to go myself later. Maybe I can text Namie and convince her to go shopping for me…"

With that said, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through his contacts, once Namie's name popped up, he clicked her name and tapped the 'Send Message' button. Typing in his short message, he tapped the 'Send' button and began to wait for her to check her phone. He knew for a fact that she would reply sooner or later. Namie knew very well what she would be rewarded with if she decided to ignore his messages and or calls.

**_8:00AM: Namie, would you mind going shopping for me?_**

Just like he expected, she texted back five minutes after he sent his message. He let out a small chuckle, oh how he loved being right.

**8:05AM: Hell no. Go shopping yourself. I'm busy. **

**_8:06AM: Busy? With what, may I ask? Oh, let me guess. You're busy stalking your kid brother Seiji while he's on his date with—what was her name again? Oh right! Mika, Harima Mika. Isn't that right?_**

He could just imagine her glaring and letting out a curse, it's what she always did when Seiji and Mika were mentioned. Mainly being Mika, Namie had a great dislike for her brother's girlfriend. It's not that Mika was a rude, bratty, or the like girl. Mika was really just a sweet teenager. The reason that Namie disliked Mika was because of the fact that Mika and Seiji were dating. It was a well known secret to most that Namie harbored feelings for her younger brother.

**8:07AM: So what if I am? **

**8:07AM: Never mind. Don't answer that.**

**8:08AM: Izaya, for once. Just go shopping yourself. Don't be such a lazy bastard. Now leave me alone. If you want somebody to bug, go bug your sisters or that Ryugamine kid. Doesn't he live next door? Maybe you can borrow whatever it is the hell you want from him. **

**_8:09AM: That's no fun. I want to bug you, dear Namie. I guess you're right though. I'll go ask Ryugamine-kun then. Have fun watching your brother and his girlfriend! Try not to get too jealous! ;P_**

**8:10AM: Why the hell would I get jealous over that Harima girl!? You really are going crazy aren't you?!**

Izaya let out a laugh at her reaction then put his phone away in his pocket, her reactions never ceased to amuse him. Letting out a tired sigh, he stood up and walked over to his front door. After quickly slipping his shoes and coat that most never saw him without, he opened the door, gave a quick look over the lawn, his neighbors lawn, across the street, and everywhere else to make sure none of the females that usually chose to stalk him from his bushes or under cars were outside waiting for him, and walked out. He crossed his lawn and jumped over the fence that separated his house from Mikado's and went towards the door. He rang the doorbell and waited patiently for the dark haired male to come over and open the door.

From inside the house, Izaya could hear a rather loud curse in, what Izaya assumed, was pain. _He must have hit his foot against something…_ A few seconds after he heard the curse, the door opened up. "Hey Ryugamine-kun, I need to borrow some sugar for my coffee—" Izaya came to an abrupt stop when he realized that the male leaning against the door frame wasn't Ryugamine Mikado, but in fact was someone else entirely. Unless Mikado had got a new hair cut, dyed his hair, got a face surgery, grew a bit—okay yeah. This wasn't Mikado.

Izaya stared into this new stranger's honey orbs with curiosity and confusion, while the blonde looked into Izaya's reddish-brown eyes with the same emotions in his eyes. A few minutes passed, with them just looking into each other's eyes, like all the answers to their problems would be found in the two organs of sight. Until Masaomi averted his gaze and cleared his throat, "Mikado isn't home right now, he uh, went shopping. He should be back in a few minutes."

The blonde's actions snapped Izaya out of his trance like state, and he nodded, "Do you mind if I wait inside until he comes back?" Masaomi gave a shake of his head and backed up so Izaya could enter. "Nah, come on in." _Mikado, you better get your ass back home fast. I don't know if I was supposed to let this guy in or not!_

Once the raven haired male was inside, Masaomi shut the door and plopped back down onto the couch with his Pocky in hand and eyes focused on the television where the Naruto reruns were currently being aired, sending occasional glances Izaya's way. He didn't exactly trust this guy; he looked a bit suspicious after all. Izaya sat himself down next to the blonde and turned his attention towards the television as well, but stopped focusing on the reruns and instead focused on the cautious blonde.

Masaomi was well aware that Izaya's eyes were on him, which caused him to fidget a bit, he could feel Izaya's eye staring at him. It made him uncomfortable. In order to try and distract himself from the staring, he took a few bites of the Pocky sticks.

By the time Masaomi was on his fifth Pocky stick, Izaya could clearly tell that the blonde was uncomfortable, which succeeded in getting a grin from the male. Wanting to make the blonde even more uncomfortable, he scooted closer to the blonde, which didn't go unnoticed by the blonde. _He's too cautious. I need to make him relax in order for this to have a good effect. _

Izaya grabbed a Pocky stick out from the box that now rested atop the table and motioned at the TV, "Which episode is this?" Masaomi, who wasn't expecting the question, jumped a bit, and tilted his head to the side in a confused manner. Once he got the jiff of what the other was asking, he relaxed a bit, much to Izaya's joy. "Oh, uh four? I think…" Izaya nodded and munched on the stick of the sweet, though he wasn't big on sweets, like most people were. _Good, he's starting to relax. _

They stayed like that in silence for a good ten minutes; Izaya was starting to get impatient though. Who knows when Mikado would get home? If he did come home soon, Izaya wouldn't be able to go through with his plan. Mikado would make sure of that. The blonde seemed relaxed enough to him, so he carried out with his plan. He grabbed the blondes chin and gently turned it so that they were facing each other and began to slowly lean in. This caught the blonde by surprise; he just stared dumbfounded at the inching closer male. Izaya took a bite of the Pocky that was currently resting in the blonde's mouth, much too close the blonde's lips for comfort. The action caused a light pink to appear across the blonde's cheeks, which Izaya expected.

Pulling back, Izaya stood up and walked to the door, threw it open and cast a glance the blonde's way. What he saw was a wide eyed, pink cheeked, dumbfounded blonde. This caused Izaya to smirk in success. He walked out of Mikado's humble home, bumping into a startled Mikado. "Wow, oh, Izaya-san? What are you doing here? Was there something you needed?"

"Oh, I apologize Ryugamine-kun. I had just come over to borrow some sugar, but I no longer need it. I'm heading home now. Tata!" With that, Izaya left the confused dark haired male in front of his door and skipped over to his own house next door.

Izaya entered his kitchen to see his two sisters munching away on his pancakes and drinking his coffee, they came to an abrupt stop once they noticed their older brother standing in the door way. "_Shit_. Aha, hey Iza-nii! Where'd you come from, ahaha? Kururi-nee, act natural!" Mairu whispered the last part to her sister, hoping to God that Izaya wouldn't start yelling at them for eating his breakfast without his permission.

Izaya simply ignored the two and walked passed them, to the fridge to grab the orange juice. He grabbed a cup from the cupboard and poured himself a glass before putting the jug away, and then taking a sip of the orange colored drink. He could care less about his eaten breakfast right now, he was quite full actually. The memory of the blonde's startled flustered face was enough to keep him full. He let out a chuckle, "Looks like a found me a new toy~!"

"…Kururi-nee. I think Iza-nii is going crazy."

"…No, he's always like this."

"…True…"

* * *

**So, I kept the honorifics (-kun, -san, -nee, -nii, etc.). Hope you guys don't mind. I apologize for the pun. I love those things! I found that one in a fanfic and i just decided, why not use it? I hope everyone was in character, if not. I deeply apologize and- oh my. I apologize a lot, don't I? Ahaha, oops. Anyways, this was supposed to be an IzayaKida story, but i've wrote a few of the chapters ahead and now I'm thinking AobaKida, then there's the HaremKida route where I was thinking at the end of the story, write separate endings for each pairing, but I dunno. Really, it's up to you guys. I don't know what I should do now. What do you guys think? Give me your opinion in a review, or if you're too shy. A Private Message (PM). **

**REVIEW or PM me! I swear I don't bite. If there's something you want to see in the story before it ends, let me know or if ya just want to chat, send me a message. I'm cool with that. Oh, if there's some PUNS you want to see in the story, send 'em in! I love 'em! Just send them in for the heck of it too. I will love you more. Yeah, I love puns a lot. Ehehe...**

**Anything else, um, I don't think so. Anyways, peace out! Don't forget to REVIEW. I appreciate the gesture.**

**Until next time!**


	2. Chapter 2 - First Day of School!

**AN: So, here's chapter two! Thank you to those who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. I appreciate it all. I hope you guys like this chapter and continue to enjoy this story. Don't forget to leave a review! I would like to know your thoughts on all of this. c: I apologize in advance at how crappy this chapter may be. I reread it several times and tried to fix it, but just gave up in the end. OTL.**

**Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. Everything belongs to their respective owners.**

* * *

Chapter 2

First Day at Raira!

The strange man that Masaomi didn't even know the name of still had left a few minutes ago, yet the blonde had stayed in the same position, staring at the spot on the couch that the raven haired male had sat in just a few moments ago, shock still present on his face. Much to his relief, the pink that had decided to pop up and rest on his cheeks thanks to their proximity had gone down. Masaomi was still trying to figure out why he got so flustered, normally he wouldn't since he, himself, had liked to jump into people's personal bubble, just to annoy the hell out of them. He could understand why Mikado would get upset and shove Masaomi away and attempt to scold him for evading his personal space now. Masaomi made a mental note to stop suddenly entering his personal bubble from now on. Let's see how long that would last…

All that about personal space and the lot aside, he couldn't believe that just happened to him. No, he couldn't believe he _let_ it happen. He could've easily smacked the raven haired male's hands away and shoved him, but _no._ He just sat there, frozen in his spot. It's not like Masaomi wanted that to happen. He would've been a bit more okay with it if it was a friend of his, like Mikado—not like that! He didn't have any feelings for his childhood friend, really. What he meant by Mikado is that the two have known each other for years. They have that joking air around them. It would've been fine with Masaomi if it was a friend or something. Well, maybe. He would just have to test those waters, now wouldn't he?

That aside, this guy was a complete stranger! They were in each other's presence for what? Ten minutes tops? "Damn it!" Masaomi ran his hands through his hair in frustration; he was pissed beyond words and confused as hell. "Damn it, damn it, damn it! Who the hell does that guy think he is?!"

"…Masaomi? Is everything alright? What happened? I just saw Izaya leave the house. _Smirking._ That can never mean anything good. Trust me. I would know since I've known the guy for ages!" Masaomi had been too busy in his owns thoughts to even have heard when Mikado entered. Tensing in his spot once the gentle and worried voice of his friend reached his ear, he desperately hoped that he didn't say all his thoughts aloud. 'Cause now _that_ would be embarrassing.

He slowly raised his head to look at the figure of Mikado, who now stood beside the couch with a worried expression and—wait just a minute. Was that _guilt_ Masaomi saw? Why would Mikado feel _guilty_ of all things? The worry was completely understandable since Mikado had always been a worrywart, but that _guilt_ confused him to no end. Maybe he was just over thinking things. Masaomi had never been such a good observant person after all. It had to be a mistake on Masaomi's part.

"H-Huh? Oh, hey Mikado. Didn't hear you come in. Uh, how was the, uh, trip to the supermarket?" _Damn it! Now I'm a stuttering mess and can't form proper sentences. That guy is so gonna pay for making me do so many thing that I normally would never do. _

After the slightly shorter of the two set down the few grocery bags he brought along with him onto the coffee table that lay in front of the couch, he seated himself down beside Masaomi, frowning all the while. The look Mikado gave Masaomi was one of pure seriousness, one that said, 'I'm not going to fall for any of your ridiculous tricks so don't try me. I want answers, and I want them now.' …Yeah, so one look said a lot. Maybe Masaomi was going paranoid. This was a side of Mikado that Masaomi hardly ever saw. It sure did succeed in making Masaomi gulp in nervousness, still wondering if he was over thinking things though.

"It went fine, thanks for asking. Now, what did Izaya do? Don't give me _that_ look. I know he did something with the way you were cursing earlier, 'damn it, damn it, damn it. Who the hell does that guy think he is', right? Come on Masaomi, I've known you for years. You can't fool me… Okay, so maybe you can, but that's not the point." Honestly, all Mikado wanted was an answer, he wanted, no _needed_ to know what Izaya had said or done. He knew what he was capable of pulling off. Mikado just didn't want his best friend to get hurt. Physically or mentally. Which Izaya would do both without an ounce of hesitation.

Masaomi awkwardly cleared his throat and tried his best to keep eye contact with Mikado, to show he was serious as well. Though, that proved to be a bit difficult with the way Mikado stared holes in Masaomi. "Don't worry about it, Mikado. I'm fine, really. It's nothing serious. Trust me, okay? He just…" He sent frantic glances around the room in need for something to help him get out of this situation without letting Mikado know what really happened, since Masaomi didn't want his pride to be stomped on anymore than it already had been.

His honey orbs landed on the now empty box of Pocky that lay on the coffee table beside all the grocery bags and an imaginary light bulb went off in the blonde's head. "He ate the rest of my Pocky. Which, now that I think about it, is pretty serious. That bastard owes me a new box of Pocky."

The look Mikado gave him this time had the blonde cringing in disgust at his own lie, it was completely obvious Mikado didn't buy the lie, but hey. Points for trying, right? Mikado looked away and sighed, "Alright fine. I'll take your word on it, but if something does end up happening that's worse than eating the rest of your Pocky. Let me know, alright? I can't have my favorite servant be taken away from me now can I?

At the continued joke, the dark haired male let a small smile appear on his lips before standing up to retrieve the discarded grocery bags from the table and take them to the kitchen so that he could begin storing them where they belong.

It took Masaomi exactly a minute and five seconds to understand what Mikado had meant with his last sentence._ Servant? What on Earth—oh. _Once realization hit Masaomi in the face, he let out a laugh. "Oh, right, right. Man, and to think I actually thought you were concerned about my well being. Am I an idiot, or what?"

Mikado let out a laugh of his own, "Idiotic human you are, indeed."

Masaomi ended up following the shorter of the two into the kitchen to help put the groceries away. Or so he claimed. In reality, we all know that he was just looking for another chance to take out the all might Alien King, am I right?

While he rummaged through the groceries, looking for a suitable weapon, Masaomi came across the few Pocky boxes Mikado purchased and did a little victory dance that led Mikado in face palming at the sight. No matter how many times he saw Masaomi's victory dance, he would never get used to it. "Oh, before I forget to tell you. When I went to my Student Council meeting yesterday, I let the principal know that you'd start attending on Monday, aka tomorrow."

Masaomi groaned, going back to school was just what he needed right now. Not. "About that, I've been meaning to tell you, Mikado. I don't think I can come in tomorrow. I must have come down with something. Afterwards motion sickness or maybe something like the flu…" Insert a few coughs right here. "Yeah, totally the flu…"

Mikado's lips curved up into a small at the sight of Masaomi's terrible acting skills, "Whatever Masaomi, suck it up and be a man. You're going tomorrow whether you like it or not and that's final. End of discussion."

"…You're the devil in disguise."

* * *

The cursed day known as Monday had finally rolled in, much to Masaomi's disappointment. He really didn't want to start attending school again just yet. What he wanted was some more free time to get everything he needed to do, done. Which wasn't really much except fool around and bug the hell out of Mikado, maybe kick his ass at Mario Kart or something of the like.

Mikado had entered Masaomi's room, all dressed and ready to head out for school, but a certain someone kept refusing to get up. In normal circumstances, Mikado was a very patient young man, especially when it came to Masaomi, but this damn morning was not a normal one. His patience was leaving him an unnecessary fast pace. It may be due to the fact that he was a part of the Student Council and would be late for the early morning meeting if Masaomi didn't hurry up.

He would have just left Masaomi to get up on his own while he headed out, _if_ he knew for a fact that the blonde would get up and ready instead of heading back to bed. Which, Mikado had a feeling would end with the latter much to his annoyance. Mikado would've asked Izaya, their neighbor, to make sure that Masaomi got up and headed to school on time if it weren't for their encounter yesterday. Mikado wasn't so sure if he would be comfortable leaving the two alone after what transpired yesterday.

Therefore, here he was, desperately trying to get his best friend up and kicking, well not literally kicking though. Mikado didn't have the necessary amount of patience for that right now, thank you very much. Yanking the blankets off of the sleeping blonde, he carelessly tossed it onto the floor. "Come on, Masaomi! Please get up!"

Groaning in annoyance, said blonde curled up into a ball in order to keep himself warm and snuggled into his pillow. "Don't wanna. It's too early. It's like, what, two in the morning?" Mikado let out his own groan of annoyance. "It's barely six." When he got no response from the blonde, just soft snores, he sighed and walked over to Masaomi's desk where he picked up the plastic cup that Masaomi must have left there the day before. He walked into Masoami's personal bathroom and turned on the faucet. After thoroughly rinsing the cup and filling it up with tap water, he left the bathroom and went back to stand beside the bed.

Mikado gave Masaomi's shoulder a shake, trying to wake him up once again. When it didn't work, he raised the cup so that it was hovering over Masaomi's face and slowly began to pour the water onto the unsuspecting blonde. _Masaomi, you'd better hurry up and wake up. I don't want to get the mattress too wet. It's a pain to dry…_

A quarter of the cups contents had been poured onto the sleeping Masaomi's face, and the rest landing on the floor in an ungraceful splash much to Mikado's distress. The water had ended up on the floor thanks to Masaomi bolting up and accidentally hitting the cup with his head, knocking it out of Mikado's grasp. "What the hell?! Were you trying to drown me?!"

Mikado gently smacked Masaomi on the shoulder in an effort to shut him up. Hey, he was annoyed but would never hurt Masaomi. "Shut up! You're going to wake up Mairu and Kururi! Now, stop being such a drama queen. It wasn't even that much water. A majority of it landed on the floor thanks to a certain someone." Crouching down, Mikado picked up the now empty cup and placed it onto the desk for later purposes.

"Mairu and Kururi? Who are they? Your girlfriends?" Masaomi sleepily asked while rubbing his eyes, to try and get the sleep out of him. "No, they're not my g-girlfriends! Mairu and Kururi are Izaya's younger sisters. They all live next door. Mairu and Kururi's room is right across from yours so they could hear you if you shout. If they're up earlier than necessary, Izaya won't be happy. So, please. Shut up." At the mention of the word girlfriend, Mikado went slightly red in embarrassment.

Masaomi just nodded his head lazily, not having enough energy to say anymore at the moment. He made a mental note to ask Mikado about the two females later.

"I'll be back in five minutes, if I don't see that water cleaned up or you not getting ready. I swear to God, I will go outside and throw the water hose threw that window and wet you." After Mikado let out his little threat, which, just so you know, Masaomi thought was more amusing than frightening, he slammed the door shut, heading downstairs to prepare a small breakfast for the two.

With the door slammed shut, Masaomi let out a sigh. "No use going back to bed now…" He stood up and went over to his dresser to retrieve the same—now clean—clothes that he had worn when he first arrived in Ikebukuro. "Izaya's sisters, huh? Wait, who is Izaya again?"

While trying to remember who their next door neighbors where, Masaomi waltzed into the restroom so that he could take a quick shower. He spared a glance to the floor where all the water from earlier had fallen. Quickly grabbing a towel from inside the cupboard of his restroom, he tossed it onto the floor and got on his knees and began to clean it up. Though it was done half-assed, not that he really cared since it wasn't really his fault. Okay, so maybe he was to blame, but—gah whatever!

Once finished, he tossed the wet towel into the sink and began to rid himself of his clothes. Afterwards, he hopped into the now running shower and quickly cleaned himself before hopping back out to dry himself off and put his fresh clothes on. He brushed his teeth and grabbed his schoolbag that he had filled up with everything that would be considered necessary for the day, with Mikado's help the day before. All of this was done in record time, much to Masaomi's pleasure.

Masaomi walked downstairs and into the kitchen where two bowls of cereal sat on the table, one was for Mikado and the other for Masaomi. Mikado was already seated and eating his. Masaomi gently dropped his bag onto the floor by the kitchen door and followed suit.

A few minutes after Masaomi had sat down and began to eat, Mikado spoke up. "I didn't want to wake you up earlier than needed, but I have a meeting today. So, I'm sorry." Masaomi waved it off with a few flicks of his hand. "Don't worry about it, Mikado. Just next time, don't use water or else I may actually get sick."

Mikado let out a small laugh and nodded his head, continuing his breakfast afterwards, "Whatever you say, Masaomi. Whatever you say."

* * *

Neither Masaomi nor Mikado could drive or owned a bike, it wasn't necessary to take a bus or anything of the sort, so they just walked all the way to Raira. Though, they didn't exactly mind. The two of them used to walk to school together before all the time. Plus, Raira wasn't very far away in comparison to most schools or other places. For them, it was just a few blocks away. About a thirty minute walk tops.

Mikado's Student Council meeting began at seven thirty, while school officially started at eight. Once they arrived at Raira, Mikado checked his wrist watch to see if he had extra time to show Masaomi around, but panicked when he saw that he was already three minutes late. He gave a quick apology to Masaomi who started to panic as well since he wouldn't know where to go, before running off to who knows where, leaving Masaomi standing there, looking like a rather lost puppy.

After Masaomi had gotten over his temporary shock of suddenly being left behind, a sigh escaped his lips and he looked around, trying to come to a conclusion. "What the hell am I supposed to do now…? Head home?" All Masaomi had seen of Raira was in pictures, today was his first time on campus so he had no idea where the hell anything was. "Maybe I really should've woken up earlier."

A gentle tap on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts and sending a glance over his shoulder to see who had asked for his attention. It was a girl about his age with shoulder length brown hair who was currently wearing a black undershirt with a thin white coat over it, along with a pink skirt that stopped right above her knees. She looked at him with curiosity burning in her eyes with a smile plastered on her face that could rival an angel's. "Are you new?" Her voice was soft and gentle, it just made her seem cuter, which had Masaomi simply staring at her in admiration.

Once he regained control over his senses, he turned around so that he was face to face with the pretty brunette. He set his hands on his hips in a playful manor and brought a grin onto his face, his flirt demeanor slowly starting to rise to the surface. "No, I apologize. I am not this New you speak of. I am, one! Kida Masoami! Two! Kida Masoami! Or three! Kida Masaooomi!"

For every number listed, a finger would be lifted since Masaomi believed it made the joke a bit funnier, not that it really did, but hey. A guy can dream, right? While waiting for her reaction, he began to wonder if his joke was really that great. He had spent three years coming up with that one and now that he used it, he wasn't as impressed as he remembered.

The female blinked at his words and then a small giggle erupted from her lips, "This is quite hard, is it Kida Masaomi? No, it's Kida Masaomi, isn't it? Oh, but there's a good chance it could be Kida Masaomi…" Another giggle was released and she gave him a bright smile. "I'm Mikajima Saki! It's nice to meet you, Masoami!"

His grin that had begun to falter, brightened ten times when she laughed, "Saki, huh? That a beautiful name, unfortunately, not as beautiful as you!" Moments like these were when Masaomi wished he was a magician so that he could give whoever he flirted with flowers.

Saki simply let out another laugh, like being flirted with was normal for her, which unknown to Masaomi, it technically was. It wasn't a daily occurrence, but it happened a lot. A lot of the students at Raira liked to flirt. "A flirt, huh? In that case, you'll fit right in. Especially with the popular kids. Anyways, if you'd like, I could help you get where you need to go."

"A flirt I am, since you see. It's my job to please the ladies." He winked at her and then crossed his arms with a pout, "Yeah, if you wouldn't mind. Mikado, my best friend, was supposed to help me out, but as soon as we got here, he ditched me for some meeting. He said it was a meeting, but I bet you it was a girl. Ah, he better introduce me to this girl that he ditched me for."

At the sight of him pouting and his choice of words, Saki let out another giggle. "You know, you're kinda funny. I like that about you. I don't mind helping you out by the way. I like making new friends! Hm, where should you go first? Have you gotten your schedule yet?"

Masaomi shook his head no, ignoring the 'kinda funny' part. Only really paying attention to the, 'I like that about you' part. "I've been standing here since I got here."

Saki nodded her head in understanding, "Alrighty then. That will be our first stop. The principal should have your schedule and everything you might need to get through the day. Follow me." Saki then took a step forward and began to lead Masaomi into the school building, making her way towards the office to pay the principal a visit.

As he was being led to the office, he took a good look at their surroundings, trying to store things into his memory so that he would have an easier time getting to the office if he ever needed to later on. He did this all while making small chit chat with Saki, "Hey, Saki. How old are you?"

Saki glanced at him from the corner of her eye, "I'm fifteen. What about you?" Masaomi gives her a small smile, "I'm fifteen too!" Saki returns his smile with one of her own, and then shoots her own question at him. "Why'd you suddenly decide to transfer into Raira?"

Masaomi just gave a small shrug, "No reason really. I just moved back to Ikebukuro and needed a place to go to school. Mikado said it'd be a good idea to transfer here since the teachers here are really good at teaching. He also said he wanted to hang out more, like we used to. I wanted to hang out too, so decided to go to Raira. It was pretty easy to get in thanks to Mikado's help. "

Saki furrowed her brows in confusion, "You said, 'back to Ikebukuro'. Did you use to live here before?"

He simply nodded his head and shoved his hands in his pockets, "Yup. That was a long time ago though. I was still in grade school at the time. I moved into the country though since my parents got a promotion and all. It's been years since I last traveled to Ikebukuro. I came twice during the years though. To visit Mikado during summer break. I think that was sometime before middle school."

"Hm, what made you decide to come back for good?" Saki asked curiously, walking backwards so that she could face him. "I don't know. To prove to my parents that I can live without them doting on me all the time? I'm not really staying for good. Maybe a year or two. Depending on how everything works out, you know?"

Saki gave a nod, "I hope you stay. You seem like a nice guy. It'd be a shame if you left." Masaomi gave her a smile, "Aw, have you fallen for me already?" Saki just laughed and gave him a mischievous grin, "So what if I have?"

"If ya have, then you had better get in line. A bunch of females and males have fallen head over heels for me."

Saki just laughed, "Well, this is the office. He should be in his room that is located in the back. Come on, don't worry. He's nice, just as long as you don't do or say anything that'll make him angry." She pulled open the door and walked in and over to the counter where a male with straight shoulder length light brown hair sat, staring intensely at his computer screen and—wait a minute. Were those stars in his eyes or was Masaomi just seeing things? It certainly wouldn't be the first time.

"Hey, Saburo, is Dota-chin here?" The male known as Saburo looked up from his computer screen where he, now that Masaomi actually got to hear and get a good look, appeared to be watching the popular Ruri Hijiribe's latest music video. "Oh, hey Saki. Dota-chin? Yeah, he should be in his office. Want me to call him out for you?"

Saburo looked at Saki and then over to Masaomi with a suspicious gaze in his eyes, and then once again back to Saki. "Yes, if it's not too much trouble."

With a nod of his head, Saburo paused the YouTube video and walked over to the door in the back that was labeled Principal's Office. Masaomi had noticed that the word Principal was crossed out in what appeared to be marker and under the word was written, Dota-chin's, therefore it now read, Dota-chin's Office. He gave a knock or two before opening the door and speaking to who Masaomi assumed the principal was.

Afterwards, he moved from the doorway and back to his deck accompanied by a slightly taller male that was dressed in some khakis and a blue jacket along with a blue-ish-black beanie that covered a majority of his dark brown hair. "You called, Saki?"

Saki gave the new comer a smile and nodded her head, "Mhm, sorry to bother you so early, but Masaomi here is new and I—no we were wondering if you had his schedule ready." The male known as Dota-chin gave Saki a nod of his head before turning his attention to the blonde who had remained quiet for the most part. "Masaomi was your name right? Kida Masaomi? Friends with Ryugamine Mikado?"

"Yeah, that's me." Nodding once again, Dota-chin began to rummage through a few papers on the side of the desk by Saburo's computer, sending a glare Saburo's way when he noticed what exactly it was that he was doing, instead of work. Which in return, Saburo laughed awkwardly and quickly clicked the 'x' button to get out of the browser. "Ah, here it is. Here you go, kid."

Masaomi reached forward and grabbed his schedule, "Saki, mind taking him to his first class? I would do it, but I have a lot of paperwork to complete." Saki gave the male who looked stressed and tired a reassuring smile, "Don't worry about him. I'll take care of him."

"Thanks Saki. I appreciate all your help." With that, Dota-chin gave a glare Saburo's way and then retreated to his office to finish said paperwork.

"Well, let's go Masaami." Saki said before walking out of the office, Masaomi following suit. "So, what's your first class?" Looking down at his schedule, he ran his eyes over the words and let out an annoyed groan. "It's History with Ms. Sturluson…"

Fun fact: Kida Masaomi hated, no _despised_, History class. It didn't help that he sucked at it too. No matter how much studying he did, he always ended up getting terrible test scores when it came to the subject. It was amazing how he managed to still get a decent grade.

Saki giggled at his reaction, knowing fully well what that felt like. "Come on, it's this way." The blonde shoved his schedule in his bag and followed after her, an annoyed frown present on his face the rest of the way.

"Ya know, Saki. I think I'm not feeling too well. Maybe I should head home…" Masaomi tried to convince her to show him the way out, but she just ignored him and continued on her way. "I haven't been feeling well since yesterday. I must have come down with the Flu or something like Ebola." He tried again after a minute or two, but got the same response. "Saki, I—"

He was silenced by a burst of laughter coming from the shorter female, who still continued walking. "Masaomi! Relax. Attending the class you hate won't kill you. Besides, Ms. Sturluson is very nice. You'll like her. I'm sure of it."

Masaomi had stayed quiet the rest of the walk there, knowing that he'd just be ignored if he tried again. They soon had made it to the history classroom twenty minutes before the bell that signaled the beginning of class would ring. He had let out another groan and tried one final last time to get out of attending this class once more.

"Saki! I… I can't breathe!" He coughed and coughed, but Saki just looked at him with an amused expression present on his face. She knew for a fact that he was lying. Saki grabbed onto the blonde's wrist when she saw his face. He wore the face of someone who was prepared to run away and second now.

"Masaomi, don't worry. I promise you'll like her. She isn't mean. Unless you do something to annoy her, then she can get a bit scary." She then forcefully dragged him inside, using her long nails as an aid into dragging the male in. "You're a sadist, Saki. And to think that I thought we were getting somewhere…"

Masaomi stood silently by the door while Saki chatted away happily with the female teacher. He looked at the female, when she turned to look at him, he adverted his gaze to the floor. He had to admit, she was beautiful. The biker outfit she wore only succeeded in helping show off her curves in all the right places. Though it wasn't only her body that was beautiful, her face was too.

Soon enough, their conversation had ended and Saki came to stand over beside Masaomi. "I have to head to my first period. Have fun. I'll see you later!" Saki then walked on out the door, leaving Masaomi alone with the teacher that he so desperately hoped wasn't going to be _that_ one.

He faced his history teacher with a glum look on his face, and figured introducing himself would be a good thing to do right about now. "I'm Kida Masaomi. Nice to meet ya." She nodded and pulled out what appeared to be a PDA, typing on it at a speed that had Masaomi gaping at her in shock, before presenting the screen to the blonde.

"Nice to meet you. Call me Celty or Ms. Sturluson. Whatever you want, I really don't mind. I'm mute so I have to communicate this way. Hope you don't mind." Once she saw his eyes finish scanning over the words she had written, she turned it back to face her, erased her message and typed in a new one before presenting it to Masaomi once again. "Can I have your phone number?"

Masaomi looked at Celty as if she was headless, but then a smirk appeared on his face. "O-ho? Have you fallen head over heels for me thanks to my charm already? I can't blame you! I am irresistible!" Celty went red in embarrassment and started shaking her head and hands in a frantic manner. "N-No! I have a chatroom made for my students, but it would take too long to get you set up right now. So for now, I'll need you phone number so that I can communicate with you! Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not like that. Besides, I—"

Before Masaomi could finish reading the message, Celty moved the device away and erased her message, staring anxiously at the blonde. He raised a brow curiously, "Besides I, what?" She hung her head in defeat and began typing. "Besides, I sorta already am in a relationship with Shinra. Kinda sorta. It's complicated, okay?"

Masaomi laughed at the flustered squirming female, Saki was right, he really was starting to like this teacher. She wasn't as bad as he originally had thought. "I know, I know. Saki mentioned to me how you were mute earlier. I'm just messing with ya, so relax. Anyways, all jokes aside. My number is…"

* * *

**AU: I apologize to anyone who may have gotten upset about the whole 'headless' thing. I couldn't resist. I felt as though it fit. Anyways, in this AU, Celty does have her head, but still can't communicate unless she uses her PDA. **

**Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave a review! I would really appreciate it! Criticism is welcomed. I just wanna know what ya guys thought and all. Well then, until next time! **


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Here's chapter 3! I do hope you enjoy and look forward to the next chapter! I would appreciate if you left a review or something. I would love to know if anyone enjoys this story.**

**Disclaimer: Nothing mentioned in this story belongs to me, everything belongs to their rightful owners.**

* * *

Chapter 3

Enter Izaya!

After the number exchange, Masaomi had been told to wait outside by the door so that Celty could inform the rest of the students that they would be getting a new student in their class. So, therefore, there he was, leaning against the wall, watching silently as groups of friends entered the classroom. Masaomi pulled out his phone so that he could check the time. _7:55AM_ glared back at him. He just had to wait another five more minutes until the bell rang, signaling the beginning of class.

During the wait, Masaomi had begun to wonder how on Earth a mute woman was able to get a job as a History teacher. _Maybe she has connections with the principal? If she does, what type of connections? Are they lovers or something? Celty did say that she was in a relationship… _

After what felt like years to the blonde, the bell rang signaling the start of class. Sighing, he began to think about what exactly he should say; it had to be something that would leave a good impression. Something that practically screamed Kida Masaomi. A few different scenarios later, he had finally got a text message from Celty, instructing him to enter.

He walked to the door and took in a deep breath before entering the classroom and waltzing over to where Celty stood beside her desk. She motioned for him to write on the board, and so therefore he did. Celty hadn't told him what exactly to write, but he figured she meant for him to write his name. After his name was written, he turned to class with a gigantic grin plastered on his face. "My name is Kida Masaomi! One autograph at a time please! Oh, and ladies! I'm single!" He winked at the females that sat in the first row, playfully.

Some of the students laughed, some scoffed, and some squealed. The squealing had Masaomi's grin brightening up a few notches. _That sure is a first. I was never really popular with the ladies... I may just like it here!_

Once the classroom had quieted down, Celty quickly typed on her PDA and then showed the blonde the screen, all while pointing to a male who had his head down in the back wearing what Masaomi assumed was a parka. "You can sit over there next to Izaya. Oh, and if he bothers you let me know immediately, alright? He can be a troublemaker sometimes so be careful.

_Izaya… Where have I heard that name before? _Masaomi nodded and watched as Celty sent a quick message to the chatroom, telling Izaya to stand up.

Said male stood up with a smirk comfortably resting on his face, "Well, well, well. If it isn't my lovely new neighbor. How come you didn't tell me that you were going to my school, hm? I'm hurt you know." Masaomi turned to face the sound of the strangely familiar voice. Upon recognizing the owner, he paled a few shades.

_You know what? Scratch that. This is gonna be a living hell!_

Celty tilted her head in curiosity once she noticed how the new student paled considerably once setting his eyes on Izaya, beginning to wonder to herself if having them sit together was such a good idea. From what she saw, she came to the assumption that Masaomi had a run in with Izaya before today and didn't really like him.

Masaomi begrudgingly walked over to where Izaya stood and sat down in the empty desk beside him, trying to avoid all communication with the male. He was starting to hope he could ignore the raven haired male for the rest of the year. Though that was unlikely, and it would seem that Izaya had other plans, considering his current actions.

Izaya leaned towards the slightly younger male, smirk still present on his face, and whispered into the blonde's ear, causing said blonde to jump slightly. Oh, how Masaomi wished he could wipe that smirk off. "So, tell me, how'd _you_ manage to get into this class. Which, just so you know, is reserved for those who have excellent grades in the subject. You're like what, thirteen? I would assume that you'd busy yourself with video games or something of the sort instead of studying. Plus, you don't look so smart. I do hope you don't take offense."

Masaomi sent a glare Izaya's way, obviously taking offense to every word the other muttered. "No, I'm fifteen, you God damn pedo. Now, would you leave me the hell alone? I'm trying to learn here!"

Izaya scooted back just a bit, but not enough to get out of Masaomi's personal space much to Masaomi's annoyance, chuckling. "My, my! What a potty mouth you have, Kida-kun. I was only teasing you know? I'm not stupid enough to not be able to tell how old you are. No thirteen year old would be able to make it into this school, unless they had very good scores, which like I stated earlier, you don't seem like that type of person. You don't look older or the same age as me. I'm currently eighteen, so that would leave three more possible ages for you to be. You don't appear to be a year younger than me, so that left either fifteen or sixteen. Considering the fact that you're best friends with Ryugamine-kun, I assumed you were the same age and that is how I got my answer. Now that I've explained to you how smart I truly am, would you answer my question? I'm getting a bit impatient."

The blonde rolled his eyes, not really caring if Izaya was as smart as he claimed or not. Though when Mikado was mentioned, he froze. He hadn't told anyone that Mikado and he were best friends except for Saki. "How did you know Mikado and I were best friends?"

Izaya calmly looked at the blonde, as if he was expecting for Masaomi to ask him that, which unknown to Masaomi, he was. Izaya was very perceptive after all. "That's rude, Kida-kun. I've answered all of your questions up till now, but you still avoid answering mine. You know, information isn't cheap, but since I'm so nice. I'll let you know a little more. "

Masaomi rolled his eyes when Izaya called himself nice, to Masaomi, Izaya was the exact opposite of nice. "Well? Go on."

"My, impatient aren't we? Anyways, recently you've moved in with our dear friend, Ryugamine-kun, correct? If he was willing to let you move in with him, I came to the conclusion that the two of you were really good friends. Just how dense could you possibly be, Kida-kun? Anyone would come up with that conclusion."

Masaomi realized that Izaya was indeed, right. He face palmed at his own stupidity, this guy was really starting to piss him off. First Izaya caused him to blush, and just so you know, Masaomi never blushes. Second, Masaomi ended up stuttering and making a jumbled mess with his words thanks to this guy. Now, Masaomi was making a complete fool of himself!

Izaya let out a laugh at the blonde's reaction, clearly enjoying himself. "I've answered every one of your questions. Now would you kindly answer mine?"

Masaomi let out a sigh before complying with what Izaya wanted, the faster he answered Izaya's questions, the quicker he'd be left alone. Or so he hoped. "I just happened to be doing really well in this subject so they placed me in a higher class. Though, I'm still a freshman. There, happy?" How Masaomi was doing so well in the subject he absolutely loathed, he would never know. Maybe his scores were mixed up with somebody else's. Not that he minded much, the sooner he was done with this class, the better.

"Hm, I figured as much. Now then—" Izaya was cut short due to the fact that he was hit in the head with a piece of chalk. Izaya turned to face the guilty culprit with a glare. "Now, why'd you go and throw that at me, Celty? I'm hurt. Physically and emotionally."

Celty picked up another piece of chalk that she owned and quickly scribbled onto the chalk board. "I threw it at you because you wouldn't listen to the messages that were directed at you! I sent like twenty of them! I was _trying_ to tell you to leave the new kid alone!"

The glare disappeared from his face and was replaced with a lazy frown, "I was only trying to get to know my new classmate. Where's the harm in that? He just transferred and must not have any friends. I was just being considerate." Izaya watched with pure amusement as Celty shook her head in frustration, erased the old message on the board and wrote a new one.

"Can't it wait until after class? I'm trying to teach. Since Masaomi transferred in the middle of the semester, he needs to pay close attention so that he can catch up with what we're currently learning. Toss me that piece of chalk from earlier by the way."

Izaya let out a sigh, picked up the forgotten chalk piece and tossed it her way, before motioning for her to continue with the lesson. He didn't bother Masaomi anymore after that; all he did was throw occasional glances and smirks the blondes way. That was all just fine by Masaomi, just as long as he wasn't bugged, he was a happy camper.

Celty had ended the lesson for the day and soon enough, the bell signaling the end of first period rang. Masaomi had tried to shove everything in his bag quickly, hoping that he could get out of the classroom and to his next class before Izaya attempted to bother him again. Much to his demise, his speed was no match for Izaya since by the time he stood up; his forearm was already in Izaya's grip lock. "So, Kida-kun. What's your next class, hm?"

Masaomi shot a suspicious glance towards the taller of the two, but after quick consideration, he came up with the conclusion that it'd be useless to try and leave without answering the older male's question. Pulling out his schedule, he shoved it in Izaya's free hand, knowing that he would probably be asked what his other few classes after that were.

A grin made it's way up to Izaya's face when he had finished reading over the blonde's schedule. "Looks like we have the next class together too! Isn't that great, _Kida-kun_?" Izaya handed Masaomi back his schedule, grinning like a mad man.

Masaomi let out an annoyed groan, attending another class with Izaya was definitely what he need right now. Tooootally. "Yeah, sure, whatever. Let's just go already." He started walking off, not even bothering to check if the other was following him or not. He knew where the next class was located since earlier on in the day, Saki had given him directions as to where everything was, not that he remembered them all.

"You make it sound as though you don't want to hang out with me. You really are hurting me, Kida-kun." Izaya playfully whined, skipping to catch up with the blonde.

"Yeah, well, it's 'cause I don't."

"How could you be so mean, Kida-kun? Especially after all I did for you too."

This caught the blonde's attention. "You didn't do a damn thing for me except annoy me. What the hell are you talking about? Don't tell me you're on drugs."

Izaya let out a loud laugh at Masaomi's assumption, the noise caused a few of the other students to turn and look at the pair curiously, wondering what all the commotion was about. "As if _I_ would do _drugs_. Please, Kida-kun, do I really look like the type of person that would rely on drugs? Now, what am I talking about? I do wonder…" Izaya let out another laugh, causing the blonde to worry a bit. "Well, for one, I gave you the honor, which you so happened to enjoy, of sharing a Pocky with me." He grinned, already knowing how the younger would react.

As Izaya had expected, Masaomi turned a light pink in embarrassment or was it anger? Embarrassment seemed more accurate. "S-Shut up! It's not like I wanted to share it with you! You took a bite without my permission! And no way in hell did I enjoy that!" His sudden outburst merely succeeded in making Izaya laugh once again, as well as getting some curious looks from passing by students

Their destination wasn't too far from the History Classroom, so they made it to their next class right away, much to Masaomi's relief. Since he didn't have to deal with this embarrassing conversation any longer. They were a few minutes early so no one was in the classroom except for the teacher, of course, and just a few other students.

"Yo, Shinra! This is the new kid, Kida Masaomi." The one Masaomi assumed was Shinra, turned from where he sat in his chair to look at the duo that just entered with a confused look. Masaomi could've sworn he heard Shinra mutter under his breath, "New kid? I don't remember hearing about a new kid—oh wait a minute. Now I remember."

Shinra was a male of average height with shoulder length brown hair that slightly spiked at the edges and wore a simple pair of glasses that glinted a lot at a certain angles, accompanied by a clear white lab coat that Shinra wore since he was, in fact, a science teacher. "Izaya, for the last time, call me Mr. Kishitani!"

Letting out a sigh, Shinra then turned his attention to the blonde that stood beside Izaya. "Ah, hello Masaomi. As you may know, I'm Kishitani Shinra. You can just call me Shinra though. No need to call me Mr. Kishitani or Mr. Shinra. That just makes me feel old."

Izaya let out a snort, "Just to be fair, it makes you feel old because you _are _old. Anyways, your age aside. How come Kida-kun gets to call you 'Shinra' and I don't? The two of us have known each other for years now. That's not fair."

Shinra glared at the comment about how he was old, "Hey! I'm only twenty-four!" Letting out a sigh once again, he looked at Izaya with an amused look. "I let Masaomi call me Shinra since I like him more than you. Plus, I enjoy messing with you."

Izaya just rolled his eyes at that, "…You've been hanging with Shizu-chan too much." The mention of Shizu-chan caused the pretty much left out of the conversation Masaomi to raise a brow. Flawlessly, might I add? _Who's Shizu-chan?_

Shinra let out a small chuckle and then cleared his throat to catch the attention of the blonde who had started tuning them out after that, "Anyways, Masaomi. Feel free to sit wherever you please. I don't have a seating chart, so seats change all the time."

The blonde barely had the chance to nod before he was dragged away by a certain flea to a table positioned towards the back of the room, leaving Shinra to continue what he had been doing before he was interrupted by the two teenagers. Which Izaya had told him that he was most likely coming up with plans to woo Celty, that way the two of them could get married. Since being in a relationship simply wasn't enough.

Once the two had sat down, a childish pout formed onto the blonde's face, "Why do I have to sit by you?" At the sight of Masaomi's pout, Izaya rolled his eyes and let out a chuckle, all while extending his hands up to Masaomi's face so that he could squish his cheeks playfully.

"You are too cute, Kida-kun!" He teased and let out a burst of laughter when Masaomi had turned a nice shade of pink.

Masaomi swatted Izaya's hands away, glaring up at Izaya and then averting his gaze due to embarrassment. "Get your slimy hands away from me!" Izaya rested his chin on his palm, grinning in amusement, before continuing. "You're sitting next to me because I want you too. Now, no objections!"

Masaomi opened his mouth to make an angry retort, but was silenced by the sound of a soft familiar feminine voice. "Hey, Masaomi! Looks as though we have science together." Saki had some time during their argument walked towards their table and was now taking a seat beside the blonde, a big smile plastered on her face.

At the sight of the female, Masaomi's mood instantly increased, "My lovely Saki! Finally, someone I can enjoy myself around!" Saki let out a giggle at his comment.

Izaya frowned at Masaomi's sudden mood increase, "I see that you've already met Saki, then." Masaomi, finally remembering that Izaya was here, nodded his head and then scooted his chair so that he was closer to Saki, attempting to be as far away from Izaya as possible. "Saki, my darling, I beg of you. Save me! This guy has been bothering me all day. He won't leave me alone! He's a pedo too, so be careful."

"I can hear you, Kida-kun! All those things you said about me are untrue and not nice. I haven't said a single rude or untrue thing about you in the few hours that I've known you and look at you. Here you've been, insulting me all day… Even getting me in trouble with Celty."

Masaomi turned so that he was facing Izaya, "Excuse me?! I remember you saying some untrue and rude things to me this morning! Oh and it was your own damn fault that you got in trouble with her! You were bothering me and ignoring her messages!"

"I was only ignoring Celty's messages for you. I was just being considerate towards you and I got in trouble. Now, do tell me, what have I said that has been untrue and rude, hm?" A smirk made its way onto Izaya's face, already knowing what the blonde was talking about. Though he doubted that he would say it aloud, especially with Saki nearby.

Masaomi went pink again at the memory and cursed under his breath, knowing fully well that he had lost this argument. "You said, ugh, never mind! As for the whole being considerate thing, you didn't have to!"

Izaya let out a laugh, "Still trying to win, I see. Face it. You enjoyed that I got in trouble for you, didn't you? Just like when you enjoyed—" Izaya was silenced by Masaomi's hand coming up to cover his mouth, knowing where this conversation was headed.

"I did not! Stop spouting a whole bunch of nonsense you—Ah!" Masaomi jerked his hand away when Izaya gave a few licks to his palm. "Did you seriously just _lick_ my hand? You really are a pedo aren't you?"

The two were going to bicker more, but stopped when Saki had laughed, both remembering that she was there still. "Man, you two are perfect for each other!" She lightly teased and laughed some more after seeing Masaomi's horrified face.

"I'm just kidding, Masaomi!"

"Don't worry about him, Saki. He's just horrified that you were able to figure out his feelings for me so fast. Isn't that right, Kida-kun?"

Masaomi groaned and rested his head on the table, "This is going to be a looooooong day."

**Sorry this was shorter than the others, I have a hard time making it over 5k, so you should except more 3k chapters. Well, until next time. Don't forget to leave a review! c:**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy it! As for all the science stuff, I have no idea if you would learn any of that. I just looked up some random terms on Google. Well, this is an AU so... You would learn that in some universe. c': A certain someone makes an appearance in this chapter. I hope I got his character right. Let me know, okay? A few characters make an appearance in this chapter actually, my main focus is a certain two though. I'll give you a hint, they're involved in the color blue and the shape squares. **

**Disclaimer: Nothing mentioned in this story belongs to me. Everything belongs to their respective owners.**

* * *

Chapter 4

New Friend or Foe?

Science period had came and went in the blink of an eye, and during that time, Masaomi had learned a new fact about himself. He wasn't as good at science as he had remembered he was. Mr. Kishitani—er, Shinra kept mentioning words that he couldn't remember the definition of. Hell, he didn't even know if he had ever _heard_ of some of the words before. For example, some of the words were covalent, isotope, supernova, alkali, actinide, lanthanide, neutrino, and so forth. Masaomi felt like he knew what some of these meant, but was having a major brain fart.

Shinra had stated at the beginning of class that he was reviewing a majority of science terms in order to refresh everyone's memory. Masaomi was sure it was so that he could catch up in what everyone was learning, but he still appreciated it the review lesson nonetheless. Considering how badly he needed it.

Everyone Shinra had called on, had gotten the terms right so far, which made Masaomi's inconspicuous, or so he believed, note taking faster and much more easier.

Much to his horror, Shinra had called on him to tell the class what the term 'alkali' meant. He didn't want to appear stupid in front of everyone, especially on his first day, thus he began to have a small panic attack. Izaya had seemed to notice this and snickered a bit, then quickly wrote down on his piece of notebook paper that lay in front of him the definition and then setting it in Masaomi's line of sight, all unnoticed by Shinra. Though if he did notice, he didn't comment on it.

"Alkali is a chemical compound that neutralizes or effervesces with acids and turns litmus blue; typically, a caustic or corrosive substance of this kind, such as lime or soda." Masaomi read that aloud to Shinra and worriedly watched as the twenty four year old brunette smiled and gave a nod of his head, saying that it was correct, Masaomi then let out a sigh of relief and wrote the definition in his notebook.

After Shinra had finished reviewing the words with them, he gave everyone sometime to test each other on the terms that they had just went over. Masaomi had turned his attention towards Izaya, and sheepishly avoided making any and all eye contact.

"Uh, thanks for earlier…" A smirk rested on Izaya's lips, mischief easily standing out in his two eyes. "No problem, but you owe me now!" Masaomi had raised his head to look at Izaya, confused. "What do you mean by that?"

The ravenette merely chuckled and waved it off with his hand, "Oh, nothing, nothing. Don't worry about it, okay?"

Masaomi had just decided to shrug it off and looked away, deciding to communicate with Saki for a bit, but Izaya had other plans. "I can't believe you didn't know what alkali meant. Everyone knows what that means."

Masaomi glared at the snickering male, obviously offended and slightly embarrassed. "Shut up! I knew what it meant, I just couldn't remember at the time, okay?"

"Sure you did. I completely believe you." Izaya laughed this time, causing Masaomi to pout and look away, muttering under his breath, but Izaya heard it all crystal clear. "As if you could've done any better than I did…"

"I actually could without struggle, not to brag or anything. I did help you out, remember? You should be glad that I'm so good at identifying what humans are thinking and feeling by simply looking at them and nice enough to help a fellow classmate out. If not, you would've embarrassed yourself with how idiotic you are in front of the entire class. On your first day too! What a laugh that would've been, no?"

Masaomi punched him on the arm before turning away; not wanting to listen to what Izaya had to say longer than necessary.

Izaya let out another snicker and began to tease the blonde some more, not wanting to let him have the satisfaction of peace. "A baby could punch much harder than you ever could. You might want to take some lessons. Actually, maybe not, it might be too tough for you to handle."

His eye twitched in annoyance, but he stayed quiet, determined not to give and give Izaya the pleasure of infuriating him. Izaya had stomped all over his pride enough for the day anyways and it's barely their second period. He had made him blush, which like I told you, Masaomi doesn't blush, he makes people blush. After that, Izaya had decided it'd be fun to insult and bother him the whole day. Masaomi has had enough; he was going to be taking control of the situation from now on. At least he hoped so.

"Oh? What's this? Relying on the silent treatment? I see how it us. I'll simply have to see how long you can keep that up. I bet my money on not very long." The older male began to tap his slender fingers, which Masaomi had just noticed that one contained a ring, on the table in a thoughtful manor.

"Let's see… How should I go about getting you to talk to me again? Hm, so many decisions…"

A few minutes had passed in utter silence, and then Izaya perked up, signaling that he had come to a decision. "How about—" To Masaomi's relief, before Izaya could form a proper sentence, the bell that alerted the students of the period ending had rung.

"Everyone, tomorrow we'll be doing some dissections! So be prepared for that." This sudden announcement from Shinra caused Masaomi to raise a curious brow. _They do dissections? That's cool! I've never done one before…_ A few of the students groaned in agony, some even shouted, "AGAIN?!"

"Hey, Masaomi, what class do you have next?" Saki had stopped beside Masaomi, tilting her head curiously, which Masaomi had to admit that the action was cute. Pulling out his schedule that he had received earlier on in the day, he began to read the sentence aloud, "Math with Nasujima Takashi."

Izaya, who had some point in time popped up behind Masaomi during their conversation, looked at the blonde's schedule over his shoulder in disgust. "Be careful with him, Kida-kun. He's quite a pedo."

"Hah, look who's talking…" He mumbled to himself, causing Izaya to roll his eyes, before shoving Izaya away from him and walking out into the hall.

Saki let out a giggle at the two and then smiled sympathetically, "What Izaya says is the truth, so do be careful, okay?" She let out a sigh and looked at Masaomi with a sad look, "It looks like we'll have to be parting here then Masaomi. That's too bad… Luckily, lunch is after this. Promise that you'll sit with me, Masaomi!"

He blinked; confused as to why she would ask somebody she had just met that day to sit with her, but even though, he had smiled brightly. He was just glad that he was making friends. "I promise I'll sit with you, Saki."

Saki was satisfied and waved goodbye before running off with her friends, on her way to her next class. Glancing at Izaya, he raised a brow, "Why the hell are you sulking over there?"

Izaya's pout was replaced by a grin; he shoved his hands in the pockets of his parka, "Ahaha! I got you to talk to me without even having to lift a finger!" Masaomi rolled his eyes, wondering if that was the older male's decision on getting him to talk. "You _do_ realize that I actually already talked to you before this, right? I had said, 'Hah, look who's talking…'"

"Oh… Right. Anyways, you should be promising to sit with me for lunch, not Saki." A frown wiggled its way onto Izaya's face once again.

Masaomi scoffed and looked at Izaya as if he had a screw or two loose, which he was really starting to believe was indeed true. "And why the hell should I do that?"

Izaya engulfed the blonde in a hug, causing Masaomi to turn pink at the sudden closeness and a few of the other students to stop in their tracks and wonder what was going on. Since to them, Izaya acting this way was strange. A few girls even squealed, they must have been yaoi fan girls. "Because we're best friends and you love me!"

Masaomi went a darker shade of pink and then shook his head in panic. _No, no, no, no, no! I will **not** start blushing like some high school girl! Especially for this idiot! _"Get off of me! As if I'd ever want to be best friends with you and no way in_ hell_ am _I _in love with _you_! I'd rather die!"

"Aw, Kida-kun! Don't be that way. There's no need to deny your feelings for me." Masaomi attempted to shove the other off, but that didn't exactly work as he had planned out. All it succeeded in doing was causing Izaya to hug him even tighter. "Izaya! I'm not a teddy bear! Let go! People are staring!"

Izaya carelessly shrugged and tilted Masaomi's face so that the two of them were face to face and leaned in slightly, their lips just centimeters apart. "So? Do you want to give them an even better show?"

Masaomi tried to back or turn his face away, but Izaya's grip on his chin was locked in place, making it hard to do so. It didn't help that Izaya seemed to be leaning even more closer every passing second. "Izaya knock it off!"

The raven haired male stopped leaning in and smirked, obviously enjoying the struggle he was putting the blonde through. "Why? Does the thought of making out in public with so many people watching embarrass you? Or does it do the exact opposite and turn you on? I'm sure you'd love the attention you'd get, huh~?"

Masaomi stepped on Izaya's foot rather harshly before Izaya could connect their lips. Thankfully, it had caused Izaya to pull away and let Masaomi use this chance to run away to his next class, heart beating rapidly and embarrassment shone clearly on his face.

"Damn… He got away. Right when I was having fun too…Oh well, I'll get him next time." Izaya then proceeded to his next class accompanied by a pout.

Soon, Masaomi had arrived in front of his math class, glad to be away from the parka wearing idiot. He just hoped that those who saw what had happened wouldn't get the wrong idea and start spreading rumors. That would put a big damp in his mood and pride. Or what he had left of it that is.

Letting out a big sigh that should be considered unhealthy, he opened the door and walked in. The first thing he saw was a brunette man that appeared to be in his late twenties turning his head to look and see who had entered. "Oh, you must be the new kid. I'm Nasujima Takashi. Call me Mr. Nasujima."

Masaomi had nodded his head, not seeing what was wrong with this guy. He seemed like a normal guy to him, but that was at first glance. He wouldn't be able to come up with his opinion of the guy until afterwards. "Kida Masaomi."

Nasujima nodded his head in understanding and waved the blonde off. "Sit wherever you please. I don't really care. No assigned seats here. Unless you _misbehave_." Something about the way Nasujima said the word, misbehave had Masaomi going on alert. Not wanting to deal with the strange atmosphere that appeared, he made his way towards the back of the room, wanting to be as far away from Nasujima as possible. He could feel Nasujima's eyes on him as he walked away and it made him uncomfortable. It seemed that Saki and Izaya were telling the truth when they said he was a pervert.

Masaomi sat down in a desk located in the last row with a sigh, sending occasional suspicious glances Nasujima's way. "So, you're the new kid I've heard so much about. Aren't you friends with Mikado-senpai?" Masaomi turned to his left where a good-looking, not that he would say that out loud, dark blue haired male with brown eyes that appeared to be his age sat.

This new person was wearing a light blue T-Shirt covered by a darker shade of blue, hoodie. It would appear as though everyone at this school wore a jacket of some kind, Masaomi included. It wasn't even that cold out. "Mikado-senpai? As in, Ryugamine Mikado?" He waited for affirmation, once he received it with a nod, he continued. "Yeah, Mikado and I go way back. Are you friends with him too? Is that how you knew that we were friends?"

Smiling, the mysterious new comer nodded once again, "Yup! Mikado-senpai talks all about you. Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? How rude of me. I'm Kuronuma Aoba! It's nice to finally meet you, Kida-senpai!" Aoba extended his hand for Masaomi to shake; Masaomi did so and smiled in return. "Kida Masaomi! I hope we can be good friends!"

Aoba retracted his hand afterwards and then rested his chin on his outstretched palm, smile still present on his face. He then averted his gaze to the front of the classroom where Mr. Nasujima and some girl were talking, more like arguing, loud enough for the two of them to hear from their spot at the back of the room. "Listen Haruna, you need to get going to your next class."

"But Takashi, I don't want to get going to my next class! I want to stay here with you! _Forever_. Can't you just call and say that you're having me stay to help with your papers or something?" Haruna stepped closer to Nasujima and wrapped her arms around his right arm, nuzzling his limb lovingly.

He shook her off of him with a shake of his head, "No. I can't Haruna and you know that. I'll hang out with you after school or during lunch, okay?" Pouting, she looked like she wanted to argue more, but tossed the thought away and nodded before leaving the classroom, much to Nasujima's relief.

Aoba let out a chuckle, causing Masaomi to turn to face the other, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What's so funny?"

Raising a brow, Aoba turned to face Masaomi in what appeared to be shock. "You haven't heard the rumors about them? Well, I guess it's understandable since today _is_ your first day. Anyways, he's dating the girl you just saw right now. Her name is Niekawa Haruna. She's a second year that fails this class on purpose so that she could continue to be in his class. You've at least heard that he's a pedophile, correct?" The blonde nodded and then Aoba went on.

"Well, she was originally one of his victims, but then one day, she must have realized that she was in love with him and confessed her love for him in front of everyone. He rejected her feelings for him in front of everyone saying that it was unacceptable for a teacher and student to be in an intimate relationship, but after that, they did start dating. He only rejected her feelings in front of everyone because if administration found out that he was a pedophile, he'd be fired for sure."

"You said it was just a rumor though, right? Maybe it's not true then." Aoba burst into a fit of laughter. "Trust me. It's true. I've even seen them making out a few times. It was quite disturbing though. I recorded it on my phone if you want official proof."Aoba pulled out his phone and ear buds, already knowing that Masaomi would want to see the proof.

Aoba scooted his chair closer to the blonde so that they were knee to knee and plugged the ear buds in, he handed one to Masaomi and then placed the other in his ear and hit play when the two of them were ready.

On the screen, it was pretty dark; the blonde guessed it was that way because of the way that they were hiding in an alleyway. He could hear the sound of two people rubbing against each other, the sound of clothes being tossed on the floor, and a few moans here and there. After some moving on whoever was holding the camera at the time, which Masaomi assumed was Aoba, you could see the two clearly.

_"Mmm… Takashi. Why are you slowing down?"_

_"Lunch break is almost over, Haruna. We should probably get heading back to the school before we get caught." Nasujima then started backing away from the female, leaning down to grab his discarded shirt._

_"Who cares if we get caught? No one can get in the way of our love!" She then pulled him back in for a heated kiss, but after a second Nasujima pulled back. "Haruna, no. Come by my place later tonight around eight and we'll continue where we left off." She nodded her head and then they separated, both of them starting to put their clothes back on. _

_Nasujima pecked Haruna on the lips once more before the two began walking towards where Aoba was positioned by the entrance, "Hey! What are you doing here, Kuronuma?! Wait. Have you been recording this? Hey! Kuronuma get back here—" That's where the clip ended. _

"Believe its true now?" Aoba said and began placing his ear buds back in his back pack and phone in his pocket before looking at Masaomi with a grin plastered on his face. Masaomi gave a nod of his head and then wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Isn't she like sixteen and he's what? In his late forties?"

Aoba let out another laugh and shrugged, "I don't know, but I use this as blackmail against him. I get whatever I want from him this way. I just wish I was able to record them having sex that night. It would have been easier to blackmail him using that. If you want, I can help you if you're ever in trouble with him by using this. "

The way Aoba was smirking at that moment reminded Masaomi of a younger version of Izaya. It had creeped him out to no end. He could barely handle one Izaya, let alone two. He desperately hoped that Aoba wouldn't be anything like Izaya. "Uh, sure? Why would you want to help me out though?"

"We're friends, aren't we? So why not? You'll have to do your best to help me in return. Don't forget!" Aoba smiled sincerely at him, this caused Masaomi to smile back. "I'll try, but I might not be of much use…"

"Anyways, my friends and I asked her one time about the age difference between them and other questions like if she knew that he was a pedophile that went after tons of other girls and guys while dating her. She just glared at us and said, 'Nothing and no one can get in the way of our love. If anyone tries to separate Takashi and I, then I'll just have to dispose of them.' Guess what she did afterwards. She pulled out a knife from under her skirt and tried to stab us!" He laughed once again, as if this was all a sick joke to him. This only caused Masaomi to see a bigger similarity between the raven haired male and him.

"So, how do you like it at Raira so far?" The sudden change of topic surprised Masaomi so it took him a second to process what the blunette had asked him.

"It's been nice here. From what I've seen so far at least. I still don't know many people, so it's been kind of weird. I'm managing so far though."

Aoba nodded his head, "Mikado-senpai has this class too, if that helps you any." This caught Masaomi's attention, "Really? That's great! First class I'll have with him then." Letting out a sigh of relief, Masaomi became excited, he just couldn't wait to see Mikado and tease him about how he was in class before he was. Especially since Masaomi was usually the last one to class. He was also glad to have a friend of his in class with him. He's been pretty lonely without him the past few hours. Sure he's had Izaya and Saki, along with Aoba, but he just met them. It was still strange for him, even though he felt as if he knew the three for ages.

"Ah, speak of the devil. There senpai is." Aoba waved Mikado over and the male came over with a bright smile on his face. His smile only seemed to brighten when he caught sight Masaomi. "Hey Masaomi! Aoba!" He gave a nod to the two of them to show that he acknowledged their presence and then sat on Masaomi's right. "Sorry for leaving you like that this morning, Masaomi."

Masaomi just waved the apology off and smiled, "Nah, don't worry about it. It's fine, I understand. Sorry for making you late for your date— I mean to your meeting. "

Mikado went red in embarrassment and let out a little whine, "What?! M-Masaomi! I—That's not what happened! I—I really did have a meeting!"

Masaomi and Aoba laughed at the male, "I know, I know. I'm just teasing you, Mikado. But seriously, you better introduce this lady you ditched me for to me. Ya hear?" He winked at and nudged Mikado playfully, earning him a smack behind the head. The action just caused the blonde and blunette to laugh again. "Masaomi!"

"A-Anyways, you didn't get lost did you? I was worried all day, knowing your sense of direction. Did you get your schedule? Have any problems with your first two classes of the day? Nothing was too hard was it? I hope no one was rude to you…"

Masaomi sweat dropped and put his hands up in reassurance while Aoba just laughed again. "Wow, wow, Mikado calm down. You're acting like my mother." Mikado turned pink and apologized. "Don't worry, everything went smoothly. A girl that I met in the morning helped me out and gave me a few pointers on where everything was. All good, okay?" He gave a smile that he hoped was reassuring.

Mikado nodded his head and then turned his attention towards the board since class was now officially starting.

Much like his earlier science period, math went by in the blink of an eye. Thankfully, Masaomi's brain didn't throw and more farts and everything went smoothly for him. All packed up, he, Aoba, and Mikado were making their way— down town—to the cafeteria to eat lunch. They had small conversations here and there; their current conversation was of when Masaomi and Mikado were younger.

"Mikado was so embarrassed that he ran out of the room crying! They guys that were teasing him felt so bad, that they shed a few tears and tagged along when I went to search for Mikado. Once we found Mikado, they apologized and never teased Mikado again. It was hilarious! You guys should have seen the guys' faces!"

Mikado let a pout form on his face and glared at his two laughing friends, "Masaomi! I thought you promised we wouldn't ever talk about that." Masaomi lazily swung his arm around Mikado's shoulder, "Sorry buddy. I just couldn't help myself. Plus, no harm done, right? It's not like you even liked, uh what was her name again? It was just some rumors they spread around. Wait, unless you _did_ have a huge crush on her and didn't tell your best friend in the entire world."

Mikado shook his head in a frantic manner, "N-No! I didn't like Yuki like that! She was just a classmate really! I… I liked and still do somebody else at the time…"

"Wait, what?! You do? Who is it? How come you never told me?!" Mikado ignored Masaomi's swarm of questions and continued on, acting as if though Masaomi had never uttered a word in the first place. "I don't like when people spread rumors about me and you know that, Masaomi!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Now tell me who the lucky girl is! Was it—" Masaomi stopped talking when someone called his name, he unhooked his arm from around Mikado and turned to look behind him and there Saki and Izaya were, approaching the three. "Hey Masaomi! How was your math class?"

He gave a small wave to Saki and tried to avoid looking at Izaya, still embarrassed and pissed about what had happened earlier on. "Hey Saki! It was pretty good. Oh, and you were right. Mr. Nasujima really is a pedophile and pervert. How was your next class?"

Saki frowned at the thought of her last class, "It was _terrible_! My legs are killing me! I had PE with Izaya. Simon made us run five laps around the field and just so you know, our field is pretty big. It was exhausting! Then I tripped and landed on my face during my third lap. It was super embarrassing!" Izaya snickered at the memory, which resulted in Saki kicking him in the shin.

"I don't know why you're complaining. It was a piece of cake." This brought a pout onto Saki's face. "Yeah, well, not everyone is super athletic like you, okay Izaya? Anyways Masaomi, are you still going to sit with me?"

Masaomi nodded and gave her a grin, "I promised you, didn't I? Uh, how about you Mikado? Aoba? Are you going to join us?"

Mikado gave a shake of his head and smiled apologetically at Masaomi, "Sorry, no. I can't. I have another meeting during lunch. Which reminds me, I really should get going. See you later, Masaomi." Mikado then quickly ran off.

The entire time, starting from when Izaya and Saki had arrive until now, Aoba had been glaring daggers at Izaya, which Izaya returned with a smirk. "Sorry Kida-senpai. I promised my friends I'd sit with them. Plus, I'm sure our _royal highness _and his _slave_ wouldn't want my friends or I to sit anywhere near them." Aoba turned so that he was facing Masaomi and gave him a smile, "I'll have to catch you later." Aoba then walked off too.

Saki had stayed silent while Aoba had spoke about her and Izaya, smiling painfully down at the floor, trying to look as normal as usual. She was used to this sort of treatment after all. Izaya had stayed silent as well; only smirking in satisfaction at how angry Aoba appeared to be.

Masaomi raised a brow, really confused now. "Royal highness and his slave? What does he mean by that?" Saki looked at him, smile still present on her face, and gave a little shrug. "Who knows? Let's get going shall we?" Saki then began to walk without sparing Masaomi a glance, knowing that he and Izaya would follow after her.

They got in line for their lunch and Masaomi began to space off a bit during their wait, wondering what exactly Aoba had meant. _Maybe he was just insulting them because the three of them don't get along really well. That must be it. Izaya isn't really someone that's easy to get along with, but Saki is really nice. If that's what's going on, then what happened?_

"Hello. You new? I'm Brezhnev Semyon. You just call me Simon. I cook and teacher. Hope you like it here." Masaomi was brought out of his thoughts with a start and looked up to see a tall dark skinned male wearing a chef outfit, giving him the thumbs up and smiling down at him. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm Kida Masaomi. Thanks, it's pretty cool here."

"Kida, eh? That good. Be bad if you no like it here. I go back to Mother Russia and sleep with fishes if you no like it here." Masaomi tilted his head curiously, ignoring the distraught look on the older and much more taller male's face. "So, you're from Russia? That's pretty cool. Wait, why would you sleep with the fishes? Don't fish sleep underwater? How would you breathe?"

A nearby chef laughed, "Don't listen to Simon. By the way, I'm Dennis. It's nice to meet you kid." Masaomi looked at the male that had stood beside Simon and gave a nod of his head, "Likewise. Uh, I'd better go! It was nice meeting you two! Oh, and Simon. Don't try and sleep with the fishes, okay?" He then followed Saki to a table positioned on in the back of the cafeteria.

"That was Simon and Dennis. Simon is one of the top chefs and PE teacher if you remember when Saki was complaining. The two of them came from Russia a few years ago. They even own a restaurant here called Russia Sushi. I'll take you there sometime if you want. It'll be our first date." Izaya childishly grinned at the blonde who just glared back up at him.

"Why would I ever go on a date with you? I hate your guts." Izaya let out a laugh, "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Masaomi let out a sigh and sat down across from Saki while Izaya sat beside him and began to his lunch which was just a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. A few of Saki's friends came and sat beside the female and began to chat nonstop. One of her friends, a brunette girl with her hair tied into two pigtails, on one each side of her head, turned her attention to Masaomi for a few minutes and raised a brown eyebrow. "Who are you?"

Masaomi looked up from his plate, "Kida Masaomi, a friend of Saki's. You?"

"I'm Kamichika Rio. Also a friend of Saki." Masaomi nodded and couldn't help but notice how much she kept glancing at Izaya. _An admirer perhaps, but what does she see in a guy like him?_

Izaya completely ignored her though, speaking with everyone else around him, pretending as if though she didn't exist. Frowning, Rio turned her attention back to the conversation the other girls were having. Sighing, Masaomi looked around the cafeteria and spotted Aoba and his friends chatting amongst themselves.

Masaomi ended up thinking back to what Aoba had said earlier, and tilted his head a bit, hoping that he could continue being friends with Saki and Izaya, while still being friends with Aoba. Aoba had noticed him staring at their table and a smile broke out onto his face before he motioned for the blonde to come over and sit with them. Blinking in surprise, Masaomi glanced at Izaya and Saki who were too busy talking with their friends to even notice the existence of the blonde.

After making sure that he wouldn't be spotted leaving, he grabbed his tray and made his way over to where Aoba was sitting. "So glad you could join me, Kida-senpai! You looked bored over there, though I don't blame you for feeling that way."

Aoba patted the empty spot next to him, motioning for the other to sit beside him, which he complied with. "You don't have to call me 'senpai', we're the same age, aren't we? You can use my first name too."

The other seemed startled at the question, but waved it off with another smile, "We are the same age, yes. I use the honorific 'senpai' when addressing you, since I look up to you. As for the first and last name bases, I think it'd be rude of me to suddenly just start calling you by your first name considering that we just met, but if you like, I'll start addressing you by your first name. All that aside, what's your next class, _Senpai?_" Aoba stressed the word 'senpai' in a way to tease the blonde.

A pout made its way onto the blonde's face, but he wiped it away when he reached for his schedule in his pocket and looked it over. "Hm, art." The blunette's facial features brightened up a few notches at those simple two words.

"Really? I do too! Guess we'll be with each other next class too, huh? Isn't that great, Kida-senpai?" Masaomi gave Aoba a smile of his own and nodded his head.

"Oh, before I forget to introduce you, these here are my friends." Aoba motioned to the other males sitting with him with his hand. Masaomi looked where he was motioned to look to see seven other males. No one bothered to introduce themselves, too busy in their own separate conversations to silently inspecting the new comer; they just gave a nod of their head in acknowledgment.

One of Aoba's many friends did decide to introduce themselves though. The one who did was a brunette haired male wearing what appeared to be long sleeved yellow v-neck with fake orange-ish cat ears and whiskers drawn onto his face. "You can just call me Neko! Hope to be good friends with ya, nya!" The male known as Neko let out a laugh.

"Kida Masaomi and likewise."

"I already know your name, silly! Aoba has been talking about you non-stop! Isn't that right, guys?" Everyone at the table nodded their heads in agreement, causing Aoba to glare at them slightly, if you looked closely, you could see the pink starting to form on his cheeks. "I have not! I just mentioned a few words about Kida-senpai. That's all."

A brunette wearing glasses and a cream white sweater, much like Masaomi's, let out a snort at Aoba's answer, causing the blunette to avert his glare onto said brunette. "Senpai, don't listen to these idiots." He grumbled a bit, causing Masaomi and a few of the others to laugh.

They chatted a bit more afterwards, but their conversations came to an abrupt end when the bell that announced the end of lunch rang, causing all nine males to stand up and toss their trash in the garbage can, before making their way to their respective classes. Masaomi following Aoba's lead like a lost little puppy.

_I take what I said earlier back. I may actually just come to enjoy it here._

**I can't write Simon for the life of me. I swear to Karma-okay, to much Assassination Classroom. I have no idea what so ever if Neko's real name is Neko or not, I just got that off of the DRRR! Wiki page so... I didn't introduce everyone else in Aoba's little circle of friends since I couldn't find their names and shit. OTL.**

**Hope you enjoyed and see you next time~!**


	5. Chapter 5 - New Fan!

**AN: Here's chapter 5! We see a bit more of Izaya's perspective in this chapter. We meet our lovely two otakus here too! Drop a review after this and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing mentioned in this story belongs to me. Everything belongs to their rightful owners.**

* * *

Chapter 5

A New Fan?

Back with Izaya and Saki, before the bell had run announcing the end of lunch, Izaya had turned to his right in order to face the blonde male and solicit for the schedule, but stopped in his tracks when he saw that the person who sat beside him, wasn't the young blonde that he had begun to take a liking to. Not in a sexual or romantic way, please Izaya had no time for such trivial thing, – although Izaya had to admit that the younger of the two had a nice figure for his age – but in that weird Orihara Izaya way.

As you all may know, Izaya loved all of humanity equally, to him; everyone was the same, no exceptions. To Izaya, not one human being was loved more than the others. Not even his family. To be perfectly honest, he hated his family, if you couldn't tell with the way he acted towards Mairu and Kururi. Life was simply a board game to the raven haired male. He was the knight in shining armor that would one day win this cursed war and become more like a god, no to become god. He was aiming to win this and complete his goal, his goal of getting to Valhalla.

Everyone else in the world were considered his pawns to help him win, there were indeed pawns that he hated more than other – Heiwajima Shizuo for example – and there were those that preferred more than the others –Masaomi was currently residing in this section and slowly making his way up the ranks. Izaya didn't care for or love any of the humans that he knew in any intimate way, he wasn't planning to either. He only preferred some over other. Nothing more, nothing less.

The female now currently sitting beside him was a useful pawn, yes, but annoying as hell. She appeared to have fallen head over heel for him. He had to admit, her feelings towards him made manipulating her easier, but they got annoying from time to time. The feelings she had for him often got in the way of his plans. So, he had decided to ignore her feelings and her, only showing signs of acknowledgment and similar feelings when he required her assistance.

Of course, there were plenty of others he could get to do his bidding, especially Namie. The whole entire school was practically under his control, there were only a few he had no control over, but he did have a major influence on them and it was quite simple to get them all rattled up. Not just the school, but the entire city and its neighboring cities. Heck, maybe even the country! Soon, he might even get the world under his control, but that wouldn't be fun now would it?

"Kamichika Rio, if you wouldn't mind me asking, but what exactly are you doing here? If memory serves me right, which you know it always does, Kida-kun was seated beside me. You didn't say something to offend him and make him run off, now did you? He can be a sensitive person at times." Izaya forced a kind smile onto his face, but if one looked close enough, they could see the obvious annoyance of having to deal with the female known as Kamichika Rio.

Rio let out a giggle and batted her eyelashes in an attempt to seduce the raven haired parka wearing male. Her attempt had failed. Obviously. Izaya would never stoop so low and fall for such measly tricks. In Izaya's opinion, she barely had any sex appeal that was capable of 'wooing' someone.

"Of course I didn't! I'm insulted that you would think I'd do such a thing, Izaya. He just decided to get up and leave. I didn't want you to feel lonely, so I took his spot. You don't mind, right _Izaya_?" She spoke out his name huskily, but once again it had no effect on the male. Each sentence she spoke, she would edge closer to him. Izaya had also observed that she had undone the top button of her button-up shirt, so as to reveal her breasts more. He had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at how hilariously childish her actions were.

"That is very kind of you, but I assure you. I would've been quite fine without you. You should know that I'm not one to get lonely often. Now, do you happen to know why and where he wandered off? Kida-kun is new to Raira and needs help getting around." Not waiting for her to answer, already knowing it'd be useless to rely on her information right now anyways, he looked around the cafeteria, in search of his blonde, but seemed more of a gold color, haired friend.

Frustrated at the lack of attention she was receiving from her obvious crush, she crossed her arms and began to pout. "Who cares where he went?! He probably just went to the restroom or something." Just then, Izaya spotted Masaomi sitting with Aoba and his gang of all people.

To say he was furious was an understatement, but even if he was angry, he kept his composure. Letting his emotions get the best of him would solve nothing after all, if anything, it'd make everything worse. Especially when those emotions are aimed at your enemy. Izaya assumed that the Aoba had probably wanted to get him all riled up, it had worked a bit, but he wouldn't let the younger get the satisfaction of seeing him angry.

The bell rang and Izaya said nothing more, completely ignoring the fuming Rio. If need be, he'll work things out with her later. Right now, he had more important matters to attend to. Grabbing his things, he carelessly tossed his trash away and silently trailed behind Masaomi and Aoba.

Masaomi and Aoba had made small chit chat on their way to art class, talking about nothing in particular. Just whatever appealed to them the most at the time. They didn't stay on one topic for more than a few minutes. To an outsider, it would've appeared as if the two had been best friends for years and years, but in reality they had just met each other a few hours ago.

Neko just so happened to have art class with them, but remained out of the conversation and a few feet ahead of the two that happily chatted away. He had an obnoxiously bright grin on his face, humming to some tune that the other two didn't recognize, but they had to admit, it sounded a lot like the SpongeBob opening theme. _Aoba had so better thank me for this later, nya!_

Masaomi was giving his opinion on whatever the heck he and Aoba were talking about, but came to an abrupt stop when his eyes were suddenly covered by someone's warm hands. The mysterious person leaned in and cooed into his ear, giving the blonde the chills. "Guess who?"

Letting out an annoyed groan, the blonde pried the raven haired male's hands away from his face and glared up at the slightly taller male. "Izaya, what the hell are you doing here?"

Placing his strangely warm hands in his parka pockets, he moved to stand in front of the blonde so that they were face to face and let a smile appear on his face. "I just came to see you, my favorite human. It was rude of you to suddenly leave without saying a word, you know? I was worried sick that you might have been kidnapped!"

Izaya pouted a little and wiped away imaginary tears, causing Masaomi to roll his eyes at the act. "Anyways, Kida-kun, what's your next class again?" Izaya ignored the glares that he was receiving from the two beside him; Aoba and Neko. It was a daily occurrence after all.

"Art." The blonde who remained not completely oblivious to the glares aimed at Izaya, replied lazily, growing worried for the outcome when Izaya's seemed to brighten considerably.

Clapping his hands together in joy, he grinned at the blonde who obviously looked worried. "Isn't that wonderful? I do as well!" Masaomi shook his head in disbelief, muttering small no's to himself. "Are you serious?! Didn't you already have your extra curriculum class though?"

Izaya gave a nod of his head, "Yes, but I do tend to help out Gramps from time to time."

"Gramps…? Wait, what about your next class?"

"Gramps is what the art teacher has everyone address him by. He refuses to tell anyone his real name no matter how much he is asked. Some of the students believe that he has us address him by Gramps because if we learned his name. It would somehow get around to the cops. The cops would then come rushing in to arrest him for some crime he had committed in the past. Don't worry though, it's not true. Just a rumor created by bored-to-death students." Izaya added the last two sentences as an afterthought after noticing that the blonde tensed and his worry came back tenfold, not just for the outcome of Izaya, Aoba, and Neko being around each other for about another hour when there was obviously some hate in the air, but at the mere thought of having a wanted criminal as an art teacher.

"Anyways, I pretty much know everything that will be taught to us. Therefore, Dota-chin allows me to do as I please. Just as long as I attend most of my classes, don't cause too much trouble, and continue to get straight A's, not too brag or anything. Besides, Gramps is pretty old. He needs all the help he can get. I'm just being considerate."

Masaomi could feel his eye twitch in annoyance when Izaya mentioned the part about continuing to get straight A's. It's just the way he said it. So sickingly chipper. It pissed the blonde off. Despite what Izaya had said, he felt as if though he was trying to brag, Masaomi was sure of it. It would appear as though he wasn't the only one pissed at Izaya, considering the fact that he could hear the other two clicking their tongues in annoyance, though it may be for different reasons.

"Dota-chin? Who's Dota-chin?" Masaomi could recall hearing Saburo say 'Dota-chin' this morning. He didn't really remember why since he was off in another land or if the two Dota-chin's mentioned were the same.

Izaya laughed and ruffled the blonde's hair. "You sure are clueless, huh? Dota-chin is the principal." Nodding in understanding, he fixed his hair and then continued his way to art class, not wanting to be late for any of his classes on his first day at Raira. The other three males followed suit, Aoba and Neko on his right, while Izaya on his left.

"Do you _have_ to help out the art class though?" Masaomi could already sense the tension passing between his three friends. He honestly didn't want to have to deal with their bickering either. "No. I don't. But I want to. You being there just makes me want to help out even more."

Sighing, Masaomi glanced over to his right at Aoba and Neko, he gave them an apologetic look when he saw them glaring over at Izaya. Aoba seemed to notice Masaomi looking at them and gave him a reassuring smile then nudged Neko. All Neko did was avert his glare towards the floor; he couldn't stop glaring at the parka wearing flea like Aoba was able too. He was way too pissed to manage that.

_Damn that hyena, nya! I wish Aoba would let me go and tear up his face! I could take him on! It's so frustrating! Right when I had everything planned for Aoba and Kida too! Damn it, damn it, damn it! I can't wait till he graduates out of here and dies!_

Aoba was obviously pissed off too, but he stayed more composed and tried to avoid thinking negatively. Besides, it wouldn't do him much good to lose his temper. He planned to ignore the raven as much as possible anyways. He was pretty good at it. It was like ignoring a fly that happened to get in your room. All you had to do was sit and wait for the right moment, and then smack it when it least expects it and watch as its corpse falls to the ground.

A few silent awkward minutes later, they made it to the art room, it felt like hours to Masaomi due to all the tension floating in the air. They walked in to see an old man sitting at his desk, drawing a beautiful headless lady in a long dress standing beside a headless horse. He was mumbling about how she needed a head, but he couldn't draw a good one.

"I think she looks good without a head." Unknown to the blonde, he had walked up towards the old man's desk and spoke his thoughts aloud. Looking up at the blonde, the old man scowled, "Why does everyone say that? You're all crazy! She needs a head." He began to try and draw her head once again, but then erased it when he didn't like it. Instead, he settled on having the Dullahan carry her head.

Sighing, he looked back at the blonde. "Are you the new kid? What was his name again? Coda Massimo?" Shaking his head, Masaomi gave his signature smile, trying to keep the irritated look off his face when he heard Izaya snickering from behind him. "No, it's Kida Masaomi."

"Oh yeah! That's it! Sorry about that, kiddo. Sit wherever you please. I don't really care. Go ahead and call me, Gramps. It's what everyone does." With that, he shooed Masaomi away and continued fussing over the head again.

Aoba grabbed Masaomi's hand and dragged the blonde to a table in the back right corner of the room where Neko was already seated, waiting patiently for the two. It seemed that in the short amount of time that they were away, he was able to get his emotions together and calm down. Normally, Izaya would have followed suit, but he had to talk with Gramps about what he had to do today.

They both sat down, Masaomi sat down on Neko's right, while Aoba sat on Masaomi's right. Masaomi couldn't help but notice how Aoba's hand lingered on his own for a few more minutes before the blunette finally let go. It caused the blonde to raise a brow, but he said nothing about it. "So, tell me Senpai. How did you meet _him_?" Aoba then proceeded to rest his chin on his outstretched palm. Sending occasional glares Izaya's way.

Neko looked at Masaomi curiously, he was curious as to how the two met as well. "I was wondering the same thing. How did a cool guy like you meet someone as disgusting and annoying as him?"

In truth, Aoba didn't really care how they met. All he was concerned about was what Izaya had planned to do with the blonde. Aoba was quite aware of the ways Izaya collected his followers. In order to stay on Izaya's good side, they hated the people he hated and even joined his gang. That usually became an unwanted predicament for Aoba. Considering the fact that Aoba's gang wasn't too big overall. If Izaya wanted to ambush them, they'd probably succeed with the size of their gang. Aoba really hoped that Masaomi wouldn't join the Dollars. Not just because he wanted Masaomi to join his gang, the Blue Squares, but because Aoba was starting to consider Masaomi a close friend of his. He wanted to avoid fighting his friends, if possible, but if he did end up having to fight the blonde, then so be it.

"How I met Izaya? Well, I met him yesterday, when he came over to my house." This caused Aoba to raise a brow suspiciously and become a bit alarmed. "How did he know where you lived?"

Masaomi scratched his cheek awkwardly, "He didn't. We're neighbors. He came over to borrow some syrup. He wasn't expecting me, he was expecting Mikado. Mikado left to the store so I had to open the door and… Well, you know." He stopped there, not wanting to talk about the whole sharing a pocky thing and their proximity and what not.

Aoba had to resist the temptation to smack his forehead; he had completely forgotten that Masaomi was staying with Mikado, and that Mikado and Izaya were neighbors. Therefore, Izaya could've met him anytime. This is why he hated letting his emotions get the better of him, he ended up forgetting valuable information. "Oh, that makes sense…"

The time for class to start had come and everyone was getting situated in their seats, Gramps cleared his throat and stood up. "Today, Mr. Orihara will be assisting us again. Make sure you thank him. Now then, today, we will be drawing a Dullahan. Except this time, you _will _add a head. Whoever makes the best head will be rewarded. Orihara, if you will." He motioned to the class and then sat back down. Nodding, Izaya began to pass out paper to all the students.

"Again? Geez, that old geezer always has us draw Dullahans. He's always complaining about how it needs a head. I bet he has his room full of things Dullahan related!" Neko complained quietly as to not let Gramps hear him. Aoba chuckled, "Says the one who's obsessed with cats." Neko went red in embarrassment, "Shut up Aoba! So I have a few posters of cats in my room and a few books. And a few stuffed animals. And a few shirts with cats on them. And a few pajamas with cats on them. And a few- Okay! I admit it! I'm obsessed! Just stop looking at me with that smug look on your face!" Aoba and Masaomi laughed at the red faced male.

Determined to get back at Aoba, he smirked. "At least I'm not that weird stalker that has a whole bunch of pictures of _Kida-senpai_ in my room." At this, Aoba's laughter ceased immediately. "I do not—"

"I bet you have a bunch of wet dreams with him, huh? When you masturbate, you probably moan out his name too! I can't even begin to imagine all the sick fantasies you have about Kida-senpai. You have my sympathy, Kida-senpai." Neko patted the blonde's shoulder, whose cheeks were tinted pink, then looked over at Aoba with the same amount of smugness, if not more, the blunette had earlier.

Aoba was a red as a tomato, even through his embarrassment, he glared at Neko. "Senpai, don't believe him! I don't do any of that. I swear. How could I when I just met you today?"

Laughing at the two bickering males beside him, he grinned. "I know, I know. I trust you not to do those things, Aoba." Aoba stared at Masaomi in surprise and then smiled. "Thanks, Senpai." This all caused Neko to pout, "Hey! What about me? Don't you trust me?" Masaomi laughed again, and shook his head. "Honestly, I have to say I can't. I mean you draw whiskers on your face, wear a shirt with a cat on it, and your name pretty much means cat. It really is believable."

Thinking it over for a minute, Neko nodded his head in agreement. "True. I guess. Just don't make fun of me!" Raising a brow, the blonde looked at him curiously. "Why would I do that? There's nothing wrong with liking cats." Grinning from ear to ear, Neko stuck out his tongue at Aoba, who in return rolled his eyes.

"Aoba, sorry to say this, but if you don't hurry up and claim _Senpai_ as your own. I might just do it first!" This caused Aoba to glare once again at the laughing male and Masaomi to turn another light shade of pink. "Shut up, Neko!"

Much to their relief, Izaya hadn't come over to chat with them and before they knew it, art class had ended. They were all packed and ready to head to their next class, except for Neko who was too busy complaining to the art teacher, asking about who won the prize and what the prize is. Aoba and Masaomi so knew and betted their money on Neko hoping it was a cat.

Masaomi's next class was Literature with Mr. Sloan, to both Izaya and Aoba's dismay, neither of them had that class with their favorite blonde, they were practically sulking at the moment, their actions were making Masaomi sweat in nervousness. "Don't worry you guys; all three of us have Study Hall with Mr. Shingen Kishitani after this class. We'll be together then, okay? It's only an hour. You guys can survive that long." He said in a voice that would be used to soothe a crying child, which not that he would say this to them out loud, but the two of them were pretty much acting like a kid who got their favorite toy taken away from them.

Believe it or not, Masaomi was actually glad to be getting a break from the two. Sure, he loved hanging out with them, but they caused him too much stress. Especially when they started fighting like cats and dogs.

The two of them sighed and nodded, "Alright, alright, I'll see you then, Kida-kun." Much to Aoba's annoyance and Masaomi's surprise and embarrassment, Izaya pecked Masaomi on the cheek before skipping off to his next class. Not wanting to let Izaya preempt Masaomi, Aoba did the same thing except to Masaomi's other cheek, before he too walked off.

After the two had gone, Masaomi had just stood there shell-shocked, still trying to process what exactly just happened. One minute they're sulking, the next they're showing him affection. _Those two will be the end of me. I swear! Everything they do succeeds in confusing me!_ Masaomi shook his head, and then made his way to his next class.

Unknown to the blonde, there was a certain female watching the events that had just folded out closely. She was a few years older than him, at most two. She had brunette hair that she had braided and pinned around the back of her head, it was covered up by a black hat she wore that matched her dress like thing. The name of this girl you ask? Karisawa Erika. And right now, boy was she having a hard time containing her squeals.

"Yuma-chi, Yuma-chi! We have to tell everyone about this!" Erika practically screamed into her best friend, Yumasaki Walker's ear. "Erika calm down! I'm right next to you! You don't have to yell! Now, we have to tell everyone about what?"

"Silly Yuma-chi! We have to tell everyone about the new transfer student! Actually maybe we won't have to… He does seem kind of popular already…"

"The new transfer student? Oh, you mean Kida?" Walked raised a curios brow, beginning to wonder and worry where exactly Erika was headed with this. He bookmarked the manga he was currently reading and set it away into his bag, gently might I add.

"Yeah, Kida- wait. How do you know his name?"

"I had a few classes with him. You did too, actually. Anyways, he _is_ pretty popular actually. He was the talk of a bunch of my classes. You know what they're starting to call him?" Erika's interest immediately sparked, she loved a good gossip. Almost as much as she loved BL. "What? What?"

"You know how Izaya is the King of Raira? Well, we just got a prince. They call Kida the Prince of Raira." Erika pondered about this. "The prince and the king, huh? Oh my god. It works out so well! Yuma-chi! We have to set up Izaya and Kida! We absolutely have to! Oh! But then again there's always Aoba… Maybe we can hook up Aoba and Kida! Gah! So many decisions! What do I do?!" Erika wailed quite childishly, her shipper heart couldn't come up with a firm decision. She would have chosen Izaya from what she saw of them together in the morning and right now, but then Aoba came along and she was torn on what to do.

"What ever happened to hooking up Izaya and Shizuo?" Walker questioned the female, already starting to walk to class.

"This is even better than that! Plus, all Shizu-chan wants to do is murder Izaya… It's a shame. They would've been good together…" She pouted at the loss, but then grinned. "Come on Yuma-chi! You have to help me figure out whom to pair Kida with!"

"First of all. We need to get to class, Erika. Afterwards, we'll figure this out okay?" Sighing, Erika nodded and waved goodbye to Walker and started on her way to Mr. Sloan's room.

_This will be so much fun! Hehe, can't wait to see how it all plays out!_

**The ending on this chapter is so weird. I just didn't know how to end it and all, but I wanted to get Erika in there somehow. Erika and Walker were totally out of character too! OTL. I got tired of trying to fix this chapter though. Forgive me for my crappy-ness. Here, Erika seems more like me than she does her. Her problem is literally my problem. I was aiming for a IzaKida fic and then I dragged Aoba in and now want an AobaKida and asdfghjk-**

**Lemme know what you thought in a review, okay? Pleeeaaassseee?**

**Until next time!**


	6. Chapter 6 - New Love Rival!

**AN: I apologize in major advance for the crapiness. I don't even know what I wrote half the time. I was too lazy to go over it again. You have no idea how many times I redid this chapter because I didn't like it, just ugh!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing mentioned in this story. Everything belongs to their respective owners.**

* * *

Chapter 6

New Love Rival?

The pink faced blunette was walking slowly and quietly to class, too busy in his thoughts to really care if he'd be late to class which was no doubt going to start in less than ten minutes. Though, like stated earlier, Aoba could care less. So what if he was late to one class? It wasn't that surprising. He had been late to his classes a number of times in the past, lost in time while brawling with other gang members, sometimes even his own members, though very rarely his own.

There was also the reason that he simply didn't want to attend whatsoever, so purposefully arrived late. These were only a few of the number of reasons, but it no doubt at all annoyed his teachers. Though they _should_ be used to it since a majority of them have been working at Raira for a few years now and would be used to all the chaos.

Aoba remained quiet on his walk towards his next class period, still busy in his thoughts. What was he thinking about, you ask? Aoba was thinking over his actions that took placed just a few minutes ago involving a certain blonde that was starting to make a drastic change in his life because of reasons unknown to Aoba himself and a certain flea.

_Why did I kiss him? Well, technically speaking it was only a peck on the cheek, but it could still be considered a kiss. I'm just overreacting. It meant nothing whatsoever. That damn idiotic hyena had done the same thing. That's right. The only reason I kissed—er, pecked Senpai on the cheek was because I didn't want Senpai to fall into Orihara Izaya's trap. That's all. No other reason behind it….Right?_

Aoba let out a groan of annoyance, he was getting nowhere with this, he was trying to figure out why Masaomi, a part of the human race that he despised, was able to throw him off guard whenever he pleased. The blonde was even able to make Aoba doubt himself. Aoba shook his head in a way to get rid of that topic and get back in control. _I need to stop letting my emotions get the better of me. That twice now that it's happened in just one day. I need to get back in line and not let him affect me so. Why does Senpai affect me so much, anyway? He's just like any other human that I hate, so then why…?_

Aoba let a frown appear on his face, blush all gone by now, he obviously didn't like this turn of events. Not one bit. _Does that hyena know that Senpai affects me so much?_

One that thought crossed his mind; Aoba paled a few shades and directed his glare at the floor, that just seemed to glare back at him. If Izaya knew, then there was no doubt that he would try and use Masaomi against him and Aoba for the life of him, couldn't let that happen. He _wouldn't_ let it happen.

Aoba was prepared to use all of his strength and power to prevent that from happening, whatever the consequences may be for upright going and picking a fight with the male who held the most authority, he didn't give a damn. _I **will** succeed in getting Senpai on **my** side. I won't let that hyena have him. I—_

"Aoba! Are you listening to me?!" Aoba blinked a few times in confusion when he was roughly shoved by none other than Neko, his best friend since middle school. One of the only people he actually went to for help. Neko was one of the only people Aoba had actually opened up to, believe it or not.

"Neko? How long have you been standing there?" Letting out an irritated groan, Neko glared at the blunette. "I've been standing here trying to your attention, but falling, for the past like, what? Ten minutes! What's wrong with you? You've been spacing out quite a bit today. Your expressions change suddenly a lot too. One second you're blushing, then smiling and acting like normal. Then you're frowning and getting pale and glaring at the floor like it was that Orihara guy or something! Is something the matter, Aoba?"

Sudden realization had hit Neko square in the face, resulting in the worry in his face to disappear and be replaced by a mischievous smirk. "Oooooh, I know. You were thinking about _Kida-senpai_, huh? That would explain why you were blushing and stuff. Psh, and you said you didn't have weird fantasies about him. You little liar—"

By this point, Aoba had tuned Neko out completely. Not exactly in the mood to deal with a blabbering cat lover. He was more concerned about how his expression and thoughts(for the most part) were easily figured out.

Sometime after Neko started going on and on about who knows what, he finally noticed that he was being ignored, a pout being formed onto his cat like face. "…Aoba? Again?! Geez, well, in that case, I'm just going to go and run down to Mr. Sloan's room and tell Kida-senpai what you were thinking about. He'll be so disgusted. Oh, and then I'll confess my undying love for him and ask him out. He'll totally say yes and he'll be mine not—"

Neko was immediately silence once Aoba grabbed onto his shirt and gave him a glare that would make anyone piss their pants, before the cat lover could run off. "What was that, Neko? Would you mind repeating it all? I seem to have misheard you."

Neko gulped in fear and quickly shook his head and put his hands up in surrender, "I was just kidding! Honest! I would never take Kida-senpai away from you!"

Aoba released Neko and let out a tired sighed, before shoving his hands in his pockets, "Let's head to class, Neko." Neko quickly nodded his head in agreement, not wanting to get yelled at or punished by Aoba, and then started his way to class.

_Am I in love with Kida-senpai? Nah, I must be over thinking things again._

Izaya skipped through the halls or Raira with a gigantic grin plastered on his face, it was a wonder how he wasn't in pain from grinning that big. It's not like he could help the grin, his day had just been the best he's had in, well, awhile! His enjoyment was all because of a certain transfer student, who happened to have the name Kida Masaomi. Masaomi had just turned out to be the best pawn Izaya's had.

_Oh, when I tease Kida-kun he makes the best reactions ever! To top it off, Shizu-chan is absent today! The only real downside is Aoba and his gang. They've gotten in the way between Kida-kun and I too much for my liking. That can be fixed in no time though. Soon, I'll have Kida-kun all to myself~! Ah, everything has been so much fun today. Fun, fun, so much fun!_

Izaya jumped up and did a small twirl to emphasis how happy he was, before bursting into a loud fit of laughter. He was brought out of his little world when the sound of a familiar voice reached his ears, "Uh, Izaya, you okay there, man?"

Said raven haired male turned to the source, curious as to who decided to disturb him. "Ah, Walker. Thank you for your concern. To answer your question, yes, I am quite alright. Just thinking about how much fun I've been having on this fine day. It's a shame that the day is coming to an end, though. I guess there's always tomorrow."

Walker just gave a nod of his head, not really having it in him to question Izaya more about his fun. He knew first handily what Izaya considered fun. It was weird, heck Izaya himself was weird, but who was Walker to judge? He knew many other weird folks, he, himself was one weird fellow.

Everyone at Raira had a screw or two loose to be honest, it's just what made Raira more unique and fun though. No one was to be considered normal at Raira; everyone had a big secret or two that they kept, not even telling their best friends. Walker loved figuring out what a person would be hiding, but he would never tell the entire school to humiliate them or something. That was more Izaya's job than his.

"So, tell me, how was your day been, hm? Just extraordinary, right? Considering Shizu-chan isn't here!" Walker's brows rose up in surprise; _Izaya must really be having a good time if he can talk about Shizuo without getting pissed!_ "Huh? Oh, my day has been fine. Just like any other, I guess. Pretty hectic though."

"Hectic? How so? Do tell, won't you?"

"It's a looong story. You sure you want to know?"

Izaya just continued to grin at him, motioning for the other to go on. "I don't mind. I have plenty of time to spare."

"If ya say so. Anyways, this morning, Erika didn't want to wake up saying she was in the middle of a really good yaoi dream or whatever. Dota-chin and Saburo just ended up leaving without us since they had to work and all. Erika and I ended up having to just walk to school, but it wasn't too bad. That was until Erika saw Animate." Walker let out a sigh at the memory, though he had to admit, he was dying to visit Animate too.

"It took forever and so much effort to try and drag Erika out of the store and get back on our way to school. It didn't help that the employees were putting the new releases of the Dengenki Bunko series out on the shelves. Erika kept rubbing it in my face and I lost control and made a major dash for the shelf and grabbed like thirty copies before anyone knew what hit 'em! I ended up spending all my money, but it was so worth it! I can lend you a copy if you want!"

Izaya chuckled when he could see the excitement in the male's face, there were practically stars in the younger's eyes. "No, maybe some other time. I'm a bit busy and don't have time to read manga and the such."

"Suit yourself, anyways, back to the story. Um, where was I? Oh, right! Erika ended up buying much more of her BL love that she could carry so we ended up having to take a detour to the house and drop all of our stuff at home. We had barely made it to school on time. They were closing the gates when we arrived. Man, was that a workout. We sprinted all the way back! You should've seen us!"

Izaya let out another loud laugh as soon as Walker had finished, "My, sounds like an adventure! Must have been exciting!"

"It was exciting! Real fun! We ended up getting yelled at by Dota-chin afterwards though, but like I said, totally worth it! I just can't wait to go home and read them. I didn't bring them with me. I forgot to pack one in my backpack before I left the house…"

Izaya let out another chuckle at that, before he began to skip at a very slow pace so that they could continue their conversation and not get interrupted when they arrived at their classroom. "I take it Erika is doing well, then?"

"Yeah, she's fine. Still trying to set people up as always." Walker frowned, starting to feel sympathetic towards the male besides him who always seemed to get wrapped up in Erika's crazy BL shipping.

"Is she still attempting to hook Shizu-chan and I up? I wish she'd just let that go. It's never going to happen. I'd, personally, rather die than get together with him." Izaya resisted the urge to let out a disgusted groan. The memories of all the things Erika had done to try and get them together. Never ceased to make him cringe in disgust.

Walker shook his head, a small smile appearing on his lips when he saw the look of disgust on Izaya's face. "Nah, she finally stopped trying to get you two together. Now she has someone else in mind. She actually just finished ranting to me about it."

This all piqued Izaya's interest, to say he was curious was an understatement. "Oh? That so? Do enlighten me and tell me who this new person is. That way I can avoid them."

"It's Ki—Nevermind! I don't really know actually! I kind of tuned her out, sorry." Walker then began to quicken his pace, wanting to get away from Izaya as soon as possible. _I don't really think Erika wants Izaya to know just yet. It'll ruin her plans and all. If she figured out I told him, she'd probably try to pair me up with Simon or something. _

"Not so fast, Walker. I do believe you aren't foolish enough to believe that you can lie and keep secrets from me. Am I wrong?" Izaya grabbed onto Walker's shoulder and kept him in place, a sly grin on his face.

"No, you're not wrong, but I can't tell you or else she'll be pissed and I'd rather not have to suffer her wrath. I'm sure you'll find out soon though. Oh, hey look, here that person comes." Walker pointed behind them and when Izaya turned to look, he made a mad dash for it.

Izaya knew what Walker had said was a trick, or so he claimed, but went along with it anyways. He did enjoy surprises from time to time; he just hoped that Erika didn't try to hook him up with Aoba or someone like that. That would just be another round of hell.

Izaya shrugged and continued his way to class, a mischievous grin still present on his face.

_Hm, I wonder who you are._

Masaomi was casually walking through the halls on his way to Mr. Sloan's room, his hands had been shoved into his sweater pocket since he didn't know where else to put them, sometime during his walk, he had starting humming to the song he had heard Neko whistling to earlier on. He happened to pass by the female's restroom and heard his name being mentioned. Of course, he was curious as to what exactly they were talking about, so he stopped and leaned against the wall near the entrance, crossing his arms and silently listening in. "Hey, Kyoko, did ya hear?"

Masaomi recognized their voices from when he had passed by them earlier in the day, around lunch time. The girl known as Kyoko was a tanned woman with brownish-blonde hair, attached to her back were some fake pure white angel wings. Kyoko had turned to her friend that had spoken who was a shorter girl with bright blonde hair, her eyes reminded the blonde of bugs, not that he would say that out loud("Must be the fake eyelashes…"), she also had fake pure white wings attached to her back. "Have I heard about what?"

"You know, about the new kid, um, what was his name again….?" Another voice joined the conversation, one who belonged to someone Masaomi wasn't expecting to be there, but it made sense since this _was_ the ladies' restroom. "Do you mean Kida Masaomi?"

The three friends turned to their right in order to face the newcomer, "Oh, heya Saki, and yeah, him. Thanks. Anyways, you know how that Orihara guy is known as the King of Raira? Well, this new kid, Kida is now known as the Prince of Raira. Can you believe that?"

"What?! You'd better not be shitting me!"

"Are you serious?! Isn't it like, his first day?"

Kyoko and her other friend that wore similar fake wings and had long pink hair had spoken up at the same time.

"I'm serious! It's been the talk of the day!"

"That is strange. It's only Masaomi's first day and he's already become so popular that he's now known as the Prince or Raira." Saki spoke, actually quite surprised at this new information, it was her first time hearing about it. She had a feeling he would fit right in with the popular kids, but not this quickly.

"Prince of Raira? What's that mean?" Masaomi whispered to himself so as to not be heard by the females.

"Well, it's actually not that much of a surprise, you know? Orihara was announced the King pretty quickly too." Kyoko threw back at Saki.

"Yeah, but Izaya wasn't announced as King of Raira until after a week after school started, unlike Masaomi who was made the Prince of Raira on his first day. I wonder if he even knows yet…"

"It's not that much of a time difference. You sound like you know this kid already; you're even calling him by his first name. Do you? Well, no surprise there! It's just like you to go and meet the new guy before everyone else." Her two friends including her began to laugh, "Ha! That's true. Just like a slut!"

Saki stayed quiet at their comments, she honestly didn't care what others thought or said about her. All that mattered was that she knew what they said wasn't true. She never tried to be the first to meet someone new, it just happened. She only happened to meet Masaomi since he was standing right in front of the school gate looking around like a lost puppy.

Saki dried her hands, ignoring the rest of their comments, before exiting the restroom where she came face to face with a frowning Masaomi. "Eh? Masaomi? What are you doing here? You weren't trying to sneak into the girl's washroom, where you?" She joked lightly, which he shrugged in response to, smiling a bit. "Maybe, maybe not. You'll never know!"

The restroom had a sort of echo, so from where the two of them stood, you could hear every word Kyoko and her gang uttered. "There goes that slut again. Trying to get another man wrapped around her finger. Isn't the guys she has now enough? Geez!"

Saki averted her gaze to the ground, keeping her smile on, trying her hardest not to let their words affect her and make her burst into tears. Especially when she was in front of Masaomi, she didn't want to get humiliated even more than she already was. The only person who had seen her cry was Izaya, and she wanted it to stay that way.

"Saki, why aren't you doing anything? You should be fighting back." Saki shook her head and continued to smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "It's fine. Let's just head to class." She started to walk, but was pulled to an abrupt stop when Masaomi grabbed her wrist and looked her in the eyes.

"That's a bad flaw. You shouldn't let people insult you all they want and they just stay quiet about it. Let's work together, to fix that flaw of yours, okay?" She gasped in shock at his sincere words and she could feel the held back tears starting to surface, so she adverted her gaze towards the floor, not wanting Masaomi to see her cry.

He let go of her wrist and looked towards the restroom, looking way too determined and serious at the restroom that it made Saki want to laugh. "I'll be right back." Masaomi then entered the girl's restroom, Saki at his heels. She was curious as to what he would do after all. _He…He won't yell at or fight the, will he? It would ruin his chance of wooing them. It would ruin his entire chance at wooing the females here. He wouldn't do that for me, right?_

"Hey! You aren't supposed to be in here! This is the girl's restroom!" Kyoko pointed an accusing finger at the blonde, her gaze then wandered on over to the sniffling Saki and she frowned. "Oh, I see. That slut went running to you and snitched on us, huh? Hey, Kida, you should just ditch her. Her goal is to get you in bed with her. That's all. She did the same thing to my ex, Hiroshi. Not just my boyfriend either, plenty of others. She's a slut and a whore—" Her friends gave their own insults too.

Masaomi had enough of their insults and dashed over to Kyoko and pinned her against the counter where all the sinks were. His hands were on either side of her hips same with his legs so that gave her no chance of running away. He hovered dangerously close to her face, causing Kyoko to blush at the mere distance their lips were from each others.

Masaomi glared at her with his honey brown orbs, he began to speak to her in a harsh cold tone, that scared the three of them and even scared Saki. "Shut up for a second, would you? Tell me, Kyoko, was it?" When she nodded her head in a way to say yes, he continued on.

"How would you like it if everyone started calling you a slut and a whore, huh? Oh, and this goes for the two of you as well." He sent a glance to Kyoko's two friends who were hugging each other and staring at him in fright.

"You wouldn't like it would you? So, put yourself in Saki's shoes. How do you think she feels right about now? She's human, just like the rest of us. She would feel the same way you would. Hurt, am I right?" He didn't wait for either of them to reply, he just continued on with his lecture. Besides, they all seemed to scared to even get a peep out.

"I want the three of you to apologize to her. Right now, in front of me. After this, you won't ever say anything mean to her again. If I find out, which I will, I guarantee you. The _prince_ will find out one way or another. Oh, and once the _prince_ finds out, he'll do his best to make your lives miserable. Got it?"

They all nodded in response, but he didn't want just a nod, he wanted to hear them use their voices. He slammed his fist against the counter, causing them to jump. His glare also deepened, so that he could intimidate them a bit. "I want to hear you use your voice. Swear to your prince that you won't say anything else mean to Saki or anyone else for that matter." They gulped and all shouted at the same exact time. "We swear!"

"Good, now apologize to Saki. Make it sound genuine too." Masaomi moved away from Kyoko and went to stand beside Saki, his arms crossed with his brows raised, waiting for them to apologize. "S-Saki. W-We're really sorry. We should've n-never called you a s-slut and a w-whore. We were just jealous oh how you fit in with the boys so well. Please… Please forgive us." By this time, they were crying their heart out, just like Saki currently was. Seeing them cry made Masaomi feel guilty. He just wanted them to apologize; he didn't mean to make them cry.

Saki stared at them through her tears, shocked that they would admit to being jealous of her. She was just expecting them to say a simple, we're sorry. Nothing like what they just did. She smiled at them, her tears still flowing from her eyes, she laugh a bit, as to lighten the mood. "It's fine. I forgive you! Let's be friends, okay? Let's put all this past us."

The three females sniffed and nodded, wiping at their tears. Masaomi walked up to them, glare and all gone from his face and replaced with a smile, joy and a bit of guilt. He wiped their remaining tears away and brightened up his smile a few notches. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you guys cry. I just didn't want you to say anything mean anymore. Can you forgive me?"

They all nodded without a second thought, then Kyoko spoke up for the three of them. "Of course we can. You were right; we shouldn't have said all that stuff about Saki. She didn't deserve it. We… We really were jealous of her. We didn't understand how someone who didn't try at all got along with all the popular kids so easily. Unlike us, who tried and tried, but failed. It… It just wasn't fair! We got so frustrated that we took out our anger on her. Saki, we're sorry again."

"You can hang out with me, if you like. Although, I don't see the reason as to why. You all seemed real popular to me when I passed by you guys earlier this morning. You were surrounded by tons of other people." They looked at the blonde with hope in their eyes, along with more tears. "We can hang out with you? Really? Do you really mean that?"

Masaomi smiled even more brighter than he originally thought possible, and gave a small nod, which caused the three of them to cry once again, not in sadness, but in pure joy.

Saki wiped away her remaining tears and smiled at the scene of her four new friends. "I agree with Masaomi, you three seemed really popular already. Oh, and uh, I only happened to meet Masaomi before everyone else because when I arrived, he was standing outside looking around like a lost puppy."

This caused the blonde to give a nod of his head in agreement, "Actually, technically speaking, Saki didn't meet me first. Mikado did, well, we're childhood buddies and all so he knew me before everyone else did. Then there's also Izaya who I met yesterday, so I actually met Saki third."

"All that aside, Masaomi, you really should get out of here. You don't want to get in trouble for being in the girl's restroom on your first day, do you?" Saki teased him lightly, laughing when Masaomi stared at her for a full minute, trying to process what she had said. When it did process, he paled and instantly jumped up.

"Oh crap! That's right! I shouldn't be in here! I got to go, bye!" With that, he raced out of the restroom and ran his way to his next class. The others walked out after him and went their separate ways, Saki had ran after him to catch up.

"Thanks for that, Masaomi. I really owe you one. Say, what's your next class?"

"Huh? Oh, don't worry about it, Saki. Uh, I have Mr. Sloan next. You?" He asked and slowed down to a jog, so that she didn't get tired right away.

Saki grinned at the blonde, "Same here! Race ya there!" She then sprinted off, causing Masaomi to blink dumbfounded. "Hey! That's not fair! Wait up!" He then began to sprint after her as well.

And at that moment, Saki realized; _I'm in love with Masaomi._

**AN: So, how was the chapter? Crappy, am I right? OTL. I'm so sorry, ya guys. I do hope you at least enjoyed it a little. Well, REVIEW!**


	7. Chapter 7 - Color Gangs

**AN: Chapter 7! Here in this chapter, the whole Color Gang and Prince of Raira along with King of Raira situation is explained better and all. At least I hope so, but if you have any questions about it and all, just send a message or leave a review. So, uh, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Everything mentioned in this story belongs to their respective owners. I own absolutely nothing and you should be glad.**

* * *

Chapter 7

Introductions of the Color Gangs!

Masaomi as of now was beating Saki in their race, he turned his head so that he was facing her, who appeared to be struggling to catch up, all while running at the same time. He let out a small laugh and decided to tease her a bit. "I thought you were faster than this! Oh, and careful! Don't trip like you did during PE!"

"GAH! I should've never told you about that!" Saki went red in embarrassment, sending a glare Masaomi's way when he just laughed at her again, he stopped laughing in confusion when she had suddenly shouted at him. "Masaomi, watch out!"

He had turned around, but he was too late, he ran straight into somebody, and this somebody wasn't exactly expecting to be run into, so the two of them went toppling onto the ground. The unfortunate person to be caught in the middle sprawled out on the floor while Masaomi lay on top of the person, both groaning in pain.

He let out another groan and propped himself up with his hands so that he wasn't crushing whoever it was under him with his weight. "Erika! Are you alright?"

Saki had finally caught up and was now standing beside the two teenagers that lay on the floor, her hands resting on her knees as she panted. "I see how it is… You ask to may sure this Erika person is alright, but you don't care about me. I see your priorities and here I thought we were getting along real nicely."

Saki rolled her eyes, "Stop complaining and be a man. Erika deserves my attention right now more than you do. You _did_ tackle her onto the ground when she wasn't expecting it and you _did_ make fun of me. So, serves you right!" She childishly stuck her tongue out at him.

He let out a dramatic gasp, "I did no such thing! Well, I did accidentally tackle her but that was your fault and I didn't make fun of you!"

Saki put her hands on her hips in a sassy manner, "_My_ fault?! How is it _my_ fault? Oh, and I could've sworn I heard you making fun of how I fell during PE."

"You distracted me with your good looks! I was not making fun of you, I was just helpfully warning you to be careful. We wouldn't want that pretty face of yours to get damaged now would we?" Saki just let out a laugh, not believing him whatsoever. "Whatever!"

Masaomi turned his attention to the silent dazed female that lay beneath him. "Anyways, I'm really sorry about running into you like that. I should've been more careful." Erika, who was lying underneath the blonde, wasn't exactly listening to the two before her; she was a bit lost in thought.

_At first, I had thought that since I can't decide whom I should pair Kida with, why not have a threesome with Izaya and Aoba. Then, that brought me to my next question. Who would be the seme and the uke? There has to be two semes and one uke so… Let's see. Izaya is definitely one of the semes, no doubt. Unless, he's with Shizu-chan… From what I know of Kida so far, he'd probably be the uke, leaving Aoba as the last seme. Oh, but now I'm having second thoughts. This position, his panting red face, well not so much red… Anyways, Kida could be a great seme! But that would leave Aoba as the uke… Gah! I don't know!_

"Hey, are you okay?" Masaomi waved his hand in front of her face, hoping to catch her attention, but failing. Though, when she suddenly latched onto his hand to stop it, he jumped a bit. "You… I just…. Ah! I don't know anymore! You're confusing me! I really do need Yuma-chi's help on this! This is why it's better to just have a regular yaoi relationship instead of a threesome!"

The blonde blinked, quite confused. It seemed his first day of school was all too confusing for him to handle. _Yuma-chi? Yaoi? Threesome? What the hell is this lady talking about? Maybe she hit her head too hard. Ah man, I hope I'm not in any trouble. _

The confusion must have been easily read on his face because Saki just laughed at him and patted his shoulder in reassurance. "Don't worry about her. She's always like this." Masaomi gave a nod of his head, and proceeded to get off of Erika and stand up. Once he was up, he outstretched his hand for her to take, which she did and gave him a small thanks. "The name is Karisawa Erika. It's nice to finally meet you, Kida!"

"Just call me Masaomi—Wait a minute, how did you know my name?"

"Huh? Well, who doesn't know your name? You're really popular, you know that? You're the Prince of Raira after all! It's not that easy to get such a position. 'Specially since Izaya keeps rejecting the guys who want to be it. Oh, and not to mention you became the prince on your first day!"

Masaomi just raised his brow in curiosity, "What exactly does it mean to be the Prince of Raira anyways? Does that mean I get no homework? Now that would be cool."

"You don't know?! Well, it _is_ your first day and you were made the prince without your consent or even knowing about it, so I guess it makes sense. Geez, why didn't that Izaya tell you? Anyways, it basically means you're in charge. You're not number one though. Izaya is, since he's the king. You know that at least, right?"

Masaomi nodded, remembering when Aoba had called Izaya the king and Saki his slave during lunch period, the memory caused him to send a quick glance Saki's way. Oh and then there was Kyoko and her friends talking about it, which is how he learned that he was the Prince of Raira or whatever.

"At Raira, its different than at most school, at least from what I know. Our school is kind of like a chess game or a kingdom or a deck of cards. Everyone, well, most people are known by different pieces or titles. For example, there's King Izaya and Prince Masaomi."

"There are other titles besides ours, right?" All Masaomi had ever heard of so far was king and prince. Don't forget slave too.

"Yup! Though the higher ranking ones are the most popular. Nobody really bothers to name let alone remember everyone else. Saki, here is like the squire or servant to the king. She serves Izaya, but then again, so does everyone else. "

"I'm sort of like the most loyal and trusting one. There are tons of people who don't like Izaya and want to throw him off his 'throne', like Aoba and his gang. I'm kind of the protector and all. Though Izaya can protect himself." Saki helpfully added, looking a bit upset at the mention of her title.

Masaomi nodded his head in understanding towards Saki and then turned his attention back to Erika, "What about you?"

"Me? I'm like one of the Jokers! So is Yuma-chi!"

"Is there a Queen or Princess?" Erika shook her head no. "Nope. A bunch of girls have been trying to get that position though. During Prom and stuff, people vote for who they think would be a good queen or princess, and then the king decides if they will become either of those. So far, in the years Izaya has been here, he hasn't chosen a single person to be those or prince. That's why it's a bit of a shocker to learn that he finally chose someone."

"Interesting, I guess. So, uh, what exactly am I supposed to do?" Erika gave a shrug, "Like I know. Ask Izaya, he's the one who came up with all this stuff."

"He did? Why is that?"

"You ask too many questions!"

"S-Sorry…" He said, shrinking back a bit, he was just curious about what was what. Want somebody to blame? Blame Lady Curiosity, not him.

* * *

It had turned out that Erika had the same exact class that Masaomi and Saki had. This, in return, had given them a lot of time to talk, especially since their teacher, Mr. Sloan, was way too busy speaking, or what appeared to arguing, with a blonde female student that went by the name of Vorona Douglanikov. In the meantime though, Saki and Erika continued to tell Masaomi about everything they knew involving the rankings in school.

"Say Masaomi, I have a quick question for you?"

"Shoot."

"Whose gang are you planning on joining? Izaya's, Aoba's, or somebody else's entirely?" This question had been bothering Erika all day, so she finally decided to ask the male since it would seem as though they had plenty of time to spare. Plus, it was only fair that she got the chance to ask a question and have it answered since that's what has been going on with Masaomi.

"Gang? What do you mean?" Of course he'd throw his own question back at her.

"You don't know about the gangs?! _Everyone_, and I mean _everyone _knows about the gangs. You really are clueless about this school! No wonder you've been asking so many questions!"

He just rolled his eyes at her, "Well, it _is_ my _first_ day for your information!"

"That's true, but still!"

"Just tell me what the hell this gang talk is all about!"

Erika let out a frustrated groan, "Fine, fine! The gangs—" Erika started but was silenced when someone shouted at the blonde and took away his and her attention. "Masaomi! Sorry I couldn't eat lunch with you today? Did your previous class go okay?"

"Mikado! Oh that's right, I didn't get the proper chance to thank you for ditching me. Twice!" When Mikado put on a guilty look, he let out a laugh and waved it off. "I'm just kidding! I don't mind really, so don't worry. Just don't forget to introduce me, 'kay?" He gave a wink and Mikado turned into a spluttering mess, resulting in another laugh from the blonde.

"Anyways, yeah I was fine. I ate with Aoba and his friends and then Aoba and Neko showed me where the Art room was and we had class together." This all caught Mikado's undivided attention. "…Aoba? I thought you said you were going to eat with Izaya and Saki."

"Well, I was going too originally, I did for the first few minutes actually, but then I ended up eating with Aoba, Neko, and everyone else." Mikado stayed silent for a second and then gave a small smile and nodded his head in understanding before motioning to the empty seat at the table. "Mind if I sit with you guys?"

When everyone shook their head no, he sat down with a sigh, before looking back over to the two arguing at the front of the room, "They're arguing again, huh?" Erika and Saki gave a nod of their head in confirmation, too watching the two who argued like a married couple.

"Wait a minute, again? Do they always argue?" Mikado turned his head to look at his best friend and gave a small nod, "Mhm, no one knows what they argue about though. They always speak in their native tongue, Russian."

"Wow, so you mean to tell me that beauty over there is from Russia?! Man, I should visit Russia sometime in that case." Mikado let out a laugh at Masaomi's comment; he truly missed the blonde and his flirtatiousness. "Yes, she is and I highly doubt you have a chance with her. I mean, it _is _you."

"I'm hurt, Mikado. I really am…"

Mikado gave a roll of his eyes and turned to face the two females, "What were you guys talking about before I came?"

"Oh, that's right! I almost forgot! Anyways, like I was saying Masaomi. The gangs are what they sound like, gangs. There are the Dollars, Blue Squares, Toramaru, and several others, but those three are the main ones that people usually pay attention to the most. " Masaomi couldn't help but notice how Mikado tensed up at the mention of the Dollars from the corner of his eye.

"The current strongest gang that has the most control over everyone is the Dollars. No one really knows who their leader is, except for Izaya of course. Take it from someone who has known Izaya for years, Izaya knows everything. " Saki continued on for Erika when she stopped to breathe.

"Yeah, Izaya is the only one who really knows and has met the leader. There are also rumors saying that Izaya himself is the leader. Since no one really knows who the leader is we just say Izaya is the leader since he does seem to have control over the Dollars anyway."

"People have been wondering why the Dollars leader hasn't revealed his or her identity yet, but people have learned to just not bother. Oh, I am a member of the Dollars if you were curious. So is Erika and Mikado." When the news that Mikado was a part of the Dollars, he glanced at said male. When eye contact was accidentally made, Mikado quickly adverted his gaze.

_Mikado is in a gang? Not to mention the strongest gang. Who knew? I would have expected him to avoid those type of things… _

"The Blue Squares leader is Aoba and the people who you sat with are all members of the Blue Squares. Saki or I can't really tell you much about the Blue Squares except that they're second in power and have a huge dislike for Izaya. Pretty much the whole gang hates him! The leader, Aoba, especially. No one really knows why though. I guess no one just bothered to ask."

Saki nodded her head and then continued for Erika, "Toramaru is led by a third year named Chikage Rokujo. That guy seating over there with the fedora and red-brownish hair. The one who is surrounded by a bunch of ladies."

Masaomi turned to where Saki motioned and he could feel his mouth dropping in pure shock. This Chikage Rokujo guy was surrounded by at least ten different women! Masaomi had never in his life been _that_ popular with the ladies. This guy must be a real pro. "I'm jealous… How can he be surrounded by tons of women? What does he have that I don't?" The other three simply laughed at the sulking blonde.

"Well, for one, your pickup lines suck unlike his." Masaomi glared at Mikado and then it was replaced by a mischievous grin formed. "Foremost, my pickup lines do _not_ suck! Second, how do you know his pickup lines don't suck? Has he flirted with you and oh, don't tell me! You fell head over heels am I right?"

Mikado went red in embarrassment, "No! T-That's not what happened! It's just that A-Anri and M-Mika were talking about how they got h-hit on by him and all—Masaomi!" Mikado gave an embarrassed glare at the blonde who was in hysterics.

"Who's this Anri and Mika? Wait. Are these the girls you ditched me for?! Dang Mikado! I didn't know you had it in you to date two girls at once!" Mikado playfully smacked the blonde on the arm and crossed his arms in an annoyed huff.

"I'm just joking, Mikado!"

"Oh yeah, that reminds me. Your jokes suck too."

Masaomi stopped laughing immediately and pouted, "My jokes don't suck, they rule! I swear Mikado; lately you're becoming so heartless these days. You stabbed me with a wooden spoon, called me a foolish human, kicked me, and so much more. "

Masaomi sniffed and wiped away imaginary tears, which resulted in Mikado rolling his eyes. "It was a _wooden_ spoon and you stabbed me with a _spatula_! Actually _you_ called _yourself_ a foolish human, I just repeated it. I didn't kick you, I just gave a small nudge. Stop being such a cry baby."

"See! There you go again!"

"I—"

"Enough! As much as I want to hear more about this, let's get back on topic you guys. Now then, Masaomi, which gang are you going to join?" Erika asked, finally setting her foot down after hearing enough of their bickering. She wanted and answer god damn it.

"Hm…. I… I don't know. Is being in a gang necessary?"

"It's not necessary, no, but everyone is in one whether they want to be or not. You usually end up joining one or the other at some point." Masaomi gave an understanding nod, that did seem true enough and it made sense as to why Mikado was in a gang.

"What do gangs really even? Why do we even have gangs? Aren't they illegal or something? When I imagine gangs, I imagine large groups of people kicking each other's asses. This is a school. That's not what they do, right?"

Erika let out a laugh at his sudden nervousness. "Nah, but kind of, sort of. Gangs have what we call Gang Wars or Turf Wars to decided who is in charge here and what belongs to whom. Currently, the Dollars are in charge of almost everything since they've won almost every fight thrown at them. The Blue Squares are considered the second strongest since they've won all their wars as well, except some against the Dollars and Toramaru, which by the way, Toramaru is considered the third strongest."

"Yeah, so I get that, but how do they do their fighting?"

Saki spoke up this time, "The gangs don't actually throw punches at each other, Masaomi. They settle their arguments and all by doing competitions and the like."

Mikado then continued on for her, "For example, we'll play a basketball game. Whoever wins the basketball game has one the fight that has been started. We'll play any sort of sport or game. All the wins are recorded by the principal and the ranking and results are put up all over school every week."

Masaomi gave a nod, finally understanding most of what was going on. "So, it's kind of like one big competition thing?"

Erika gave a nod of her own, "Yup! Oh, but sometimes the gangs do actually fight with their fists or weapons if things get a bit too serious. Who were the last two gangs to fight each other like that again?"

"The Dollars and Toramaru." Saki helpfully answered Erika's question.

"Oh right! Thanks, Saki! Toramaru's leader started a fight against Shizu-chan and well, lost. No one can beat Shizu-chan in a battle. Well, maybe Izaya and Simon can. Vorona is pretty good too…"

"That explains why Shizuo isn't here then. He got suspended then, huh?" Mikado let out a tired sigh.

"Shizu-chan? Who the hell is Shizu-chan?! That's not the first time I've heard the name. I've been wondering al l day." Masaomi gave an annoyed huff, he kept hearing the name, but no one ever decided to tell him and it frustrated him to no end.

"Shizu-chan is a guy who is in his last year at Raira. His full name is Heiwajima Shizuo, but we like to call him Shizu-chan to get on his nerves. Though I suggest you don't call him that unless you're pretty good friends with him or else he'll get pissed and beat the crap out of you. Anyways, Shizu-chan is really strong, like really strong! He can lift anything! Vending machines, desks, sign posts, cars, you name it! Oh, he really hates Izaya too so try not to mention him in front of Shizuo and vise versa. If you see them fighting, run."

"So, this Shizu-chan is in the Dollars, right?" When Erika nodded, he continued. "If Izaya really is the leader of the Dollars then why the hell would he let the guy he hates most into his gang?" Erika shrugged, "Who knows? Now, who's gang are you planning to join?"

"I honestly still don't know."

Erika let out a groan, "Are you serious? You've had plenty of time to choose! I need to know!" This caused the blonde to raise his brow in curiosity, "Why does it matter to you who I choose?"

"It just does, okay? Stop asking questions and answer mine before I send Shizu-chan after you!"

Letting out a sigh, Masaomi crossed his arms on the table and laid his head down on top of his arms, "I'll tell you when I decide, okay?"

"But—"

"Erika, it's still Masaomi's first day. You can't expect him to choose just yet. Give him time."

Erika started to protest again, but realized Mikado was right and instantly shut up. Before it had taken her awhile to decide too, she had joined the Blue Squares at first, but then certain events took place that resulted in her quitting and joining the Dollars. Though that story is for another time.

"Ah, you're the new student, are you not?" Masaomi looked up from his comfortable position to see the male they had been chatting about earlier. Chikage Rokujo. He wore a not-too-fancy-but-still-fancy suit along with his fedora that covered up the top part of his head. Now that they were face to face, the blonde could see the bandages that he assumed were from his fight with Shizuo.

After realizing that Rokujo was speaking to him, he gave a nod. "Yup, that's me. You must be the legendary leader of Toramaru, Chikage Rokujo that I've heard all about." The other gave a laugh, "Legendary? Well, I'm glad you know who I am already then."

He extended his hand for Masaomi to shake, which he did. "I'm Kida Masaomi."

"It's nice to finally meet you, I've been curious about you just so you know. Especially since you now go by the title of Prince of Raira. That might mean I have a new rival."

"Rival?"

"Yup, rival. The ladies seem to adore you already. My girlfriend, Non, the cute blonde over there with the sweater tied around her beautiful waist, has been talking about you non-stop today. So have Kana, Kiyomin, and Sienna. Now that I think about it, all of the ladies have been talking about you today. So, therefore, you're my rival for their love."

"Oh. Have I really become that popular?"

Rocchi pulled back his hand and nodded, "Say, would you like to join my gang, Toramaru?"

A frown made its way onto the blonde's face. _What is with everyone and asking me about the gangs? Actually, I can sorta __understand why he'd be asking me. Of course he wants to get someone like me, who is known as the prince in his gang. It would be sure to bring others and make his rank rise. _"I—"

"Oi, Rocchi! I thought we had agreed not to bother him about that yet!" The female blonde known as Non that was mention earlier on came up and smacked Rocchi against the head, causing said male to wince in pain. "Ow, Non. My head is injured enough; I'd appreciate if you didn't smack me. Anyways, all I was doing was getting the offer out to him."

"I'm sorry—No! What am I saying! Just tough it out like the man you are!" She took it in her to smack him again earning another wince. "Why are you so mad today, Non? Is it that time of the month already?"

Non went red in embarrassment and attempted to smack him again, but this time Rocchi dodged. "Of course not, dummy! Stop being a jerk! I'm mad at you because of what you said earlier!"

"I'm sorry; I didn't think that would've offended you. Now, what I said earlier? What did I say again? Just so you know, I said a lot."

"Eh? Ah, whatever! Anyways, do you really think he's going to join our gang? He doesn't even know you! He's friends with Orihara and Kuronuma! He'll probably join one of their gangs!"

"Non darling, I'm standing right beside you. No need to yell in my ears, alright?" She huffed in response, "No harm in giving it a shot though, right?"

"…For some reason I have a feeling there was a hidden meaning behind that sentence."

"Why would you think that?"

Non gave a sigh, then crossed her arms and turned to face Masaomi with an apologetic look. "Listen, I'm sorry about Rocchi and his rudeness. We would really love for you to join us, we love having new members. We just wanted to make sure you knew that there's a spot open for you."

Masaomi gave a small nod and his brightest smile to Non, "Alright thanks! I'll take your offer into consideration!" Smiling, she began to say more, but Rocchi gave her a gentle shove – his pride not letting him do any real damage to a lady. "Go back with the others."

"Why? I want to stay here with you Rocchi. I want to get to know our prince too."

"It'll make the other girls jealous and come over. We won't all be able to fit at a table meant for six." Letting out a sigh, she nodded her head in understanding and gave him a peck on the cheek before getting up and starting to walk off. "I'm still mad at you though!"

As soon as she was gone, he turned his attention back to the Toramaru leader, raising a brow. "Rocchi?" Rocchi just let out a small laugh, "That's what all my friends call me. You can go ahead and do the same, if you like."

Masaomi nodded his head in understanding, "Alright? Anyways, as for your offer, I'm going to have to get back to you later. Muuuch later. I don't really know which gang I'm joining yet."

Rocchi nodded, "That's fine by me. So, Masa-chan, how are you liking it at Raira? It's been an eventful day for you hasn't it?" Masaomi went a light, very light that it's hard to see, shade of pink. He wasn't exactly used to be addressed with the honorific for 'cute'.

"Masa-chan?" Rocchi gave a knowing smile, though what he knew Masaomi was clueless. "I think it's only fair. You get to call me Rocchi; I get to call you Masa-chan. Or would you prefer Ki-chan?" Masaomi gave a small shrug, "Whatever is fine."

"Okay, Whatever-chan." Masaomi blinked in surprise and then let out a laugh, "That's not what I meant and you know that!" Rocchi joined in on the laughter, "I was just teasing you, don't worry. I'm not that dumb."

After getting over his fit of laughter, Masaomi answered Rocchi's original question. "Yeah, I've been liking it at Raira. I've made so many friends that it feels like I've been here for years."

Everyone at the table smiled at his comment, obviously all of them feeling the same way, before Rocchi continued. "That's good. Can't have our little prince not enjoying himself now, can we? Well, I'd better get back to the ladies. I can tell from here that they're getting restless. I'll have to catch you later." Rocchi stood up and gave Masaomi a wink before walking off.

Once he was gone, Mikado, Erika, and Saki let out a breath they didn't even realize that they were holding. "Geez, I thought he'd never leave…" Erika complained, sending a quick glance Rocchi's way.

Masaomi began to frown once again, "That's not nice, Erika. He was being nice, I don't see why you didn't like him. "Sorry, but his cologne was too strong. Made my eyes water." She apologized in a joking manner, though Masaomi could tell that even though she apologized in a joking manner, she really wasn't sorry whatsoever.

"Um, Masaomi? You really should be careful around him, he can be dangerous." Masaomi turned to face Mikado with raised eyebrows. "He didn't seem all that dangerous to me…"

Saki voiced in her concerns, "Masaomi, he's right. You know how we told you that he got in a fight with Shizuo? It took _four_ punches to get him down! Usually, it takes one of Shizuo's punches to knock someone out." Masaomi was still confused as to how he was dangerous. "So? Just means he's strong."

"Yeah, he's really strong, but he's also super dangerous." Erika added in her own concerns as well.

"I still don't get how he's dangerous though. Sure, he may be freakishly strong, but that's nothing to be concerned about. Unless, you're planning to fight him."

"He just is dangerous, okay? I've known him longer than the three of you. Take my word on it. Stay away from him and Toramaru as much as possible."

Masaomi could understand that they just wanted to warn him about the dangers, but he was still upset. "How do I know that you're not just saying that so you'll know for sure that I won't join them? Are you going to say that Aoba is dangerous too? During our entire discussion, I haven't heard any of you say a thing bad about the Dollars."

"….." All three of them stayed quiet and in their silence, the bell rang.

"That's what I thought."

Masaomi stood up and made his first step to leave, but was stopped by Mikado's hand latched onto his arm. "Listen, Masaomi, we only want what's best for you. We weren't going to say that Aoba was dangerous, remember I hang out with him sometimes too. We just know for a fact that you should be careful with him. He never goes near someone that's by us, the Dollars or the Blue Squares. That's how the three of us know that something is up. We're just worried that he'll use you or something, okay?"

The frown remained on his face, but after a second, he smiled reassuringly and ruffled Mikado's hair, "Yeah, I know you guys are worried and all. Don't be, I'll be careful around him. Oh, and uh, sorry for getting so mad at you guys." Mikado shook his head and smiled in response before the two of them went off to their last class of the day.

Saki and Erika followed right after the two males, though Erika trailed a bit farther from them, staring at Mikado and Masaomi in thought.

"Damn, this is going to be a harder decision than I thought…"

**Ugh, I hope Rocchi and Non weren't ****_too_****out of character. Forgive me, 'kay?**


	8. Chapter 8 - First Fight?

**SHE LIVES! Aha, yeah. Look who decided to sit their ass down and update! Sorry about the wait guys - again. I have too many excuses so I'm not going to even list them. If you didn't already do so, I'd recommend going through the first seven chapters and rereading them. I tried to make them sorta better than what they used to be so... **

**I'm trying - trying being the key word - to get chapters finished so that I can update weekly like I had originally planned. As for update days I'll let you know later on when I actually figure it out. **

**Apologies in advance for how terrible this chapter ended, I rewrote it so many damn times, but it still doesn't feel right. Therefore, everyone may be ooc and ugh. I'm so sorry. I hope you enjoy today's chapter to an extent. I'm having a bit of writers block so that may be why I- Ugh, whatever, but if you have anything you want to see in future chapters, let me know! There's a 80% chance it'll actually end up in the story. **

**/repeatedly bangs head on keyboard**

**Disclaimer: Everything mentioned belongs to their respective owners and you should be glad.**

* * *

Chapter 8

First fight?

His last class of the day is Study Hall with a certain Kishitani Shingen, father of Kishitani Shinra, Masaomi's science teacher. This last class the blonde had with a majority of his new and old – Mikado – friends, along with several others he had never met prior, but had a feeling that he would become friends with sooner or later. It's just this type of sixth sense he had; he knew who he would end up becoming friends with. Though, if that friendship would last, he couldn't tell.

Erika, Saki, and of oddly enough Mikado – Mikado must've grown out of his shell all those years that Masaomi was gone - were conversing about upcoming school events such as the Fall Festival that was coming up soon. Considering how today was Masaomi's first day at Raira, it was impossible for him to join in on the conversation, since he knew not what to talk about and sure as hell didn't plan on participating. He'd personally rather be at home, spending time sleeping, or walking around flirting with woman, as always.

That being said, the blonde remained several feet ahead of the three, arms crossed behind his head in a carefree manner. Out of the four of them, he entered Study Hall first. Once he stepped through the door, he was instantly given a scare. In front of him, a gun was pointed directly at his face, mere centimeters away, if fired, it'd be sure to hit. At this range and angle, he wouldn't even have a chance to dodge the bullet that would no doubt lead to his doom.

He stares, eyes wide in shock at the weapon in front of him, starting to build up a sweat at the anxiety that was building inside of him. _Duck down or try and steal the gun from his hand?_ _I could try and startle him, giving me a chance to take the gun—_

One second, Masaomi is standing there, staring at the gun anxiously. The next, a bang sound resonates and confetti of all colors is thrown in his face and he's met with the boisterous obnoxious laugh of the culprit who 'shot' him.

"Aha! I got you!" He adverted his gaze from the gun to the guilty culprit who was an oddly dressed male. Well, the only real odd thing about this man is the mask he wore, although the lab coat also threw the blonde off – _why would he wear a lab coat if he's a Study Hall teacher?_

The older male kept laughing obnoxiously, hands placed on his hips in a way that screamed triumph. "Hm? I haven't seen you before. You're not someone important, right? Crap, I can't lose this job too! I have bills to pay! A wife, son, and soon to be daughter-in-law to feed! Although, Celty can fend for herself - now don't get the wrong idea. It's not like I hate her or anything it's just she keep refusing to call me father! "

This male, who Masaomi was starting to assume, was the teacher, considering the fact that there was no other adult around and he did say something about not wanting to lose his job, made a ton of what the blonde could only assume to be panicked expressions and movements, got down on his knees and began begging to the blonde. "Please don't fire me!"

"Uh, I'm not that sort of person… I'm a new student is all. I'm not gonna fire you, really." Masaomi scratched his cheek awkwardly; the sight of one of his teachers getting down on all fours and begging was an odd one that confused him.

"…Oh. That so? Well then, you should've just said that in the first place! Got me all scared for nothing." Rising to his feet, he dusted himself off and then tilted his head a few degrees. "New student… Ah! You must be that one that Shinra and Celty told me about during our lunch break! Welcome to Raira! The name is Kishitani Shingen! Pleasure to meet ya! Even if you did scare me…"

The blonde simply gave a lazy nod in response, not exactly processing what the older male had said, too busy still trying to figure out what the whole gun thing was about and the whole teacher-getting-on-his-knees-and-begging thing out of his head. "Hey—you scared me first! Who aims a gun at their students? Especially a new one!"

"It was a fake gun! Big difference! _I_ am the type of person who does so, thank you very much. "

"It was still a gun!"

"Fake!"

"Doesn't matter! You could have given me a heart attack. What would you have done then? You would have lost your job for sure."

"No, anything but that. Please, I beg of you. If I lose this job too, Shinra will kick me out and Emilia will leave me! Oh, not to mention Celty will laugh at me and I can't give her that satisfaction!"

While Shingen rambled on and on as to why he couldn't lose this job, Masaomi began to wonder why exactly this teacher wore a gas mask to school of all things. You don't see people wearing one often—okay not at all in Ikebukuro or anywhere for that matter. He was beginning to wonder if Shingen was really just a lunatic after all.

He must have accidentally voiced his thoughts aloud because Shingen happily answered; there was a hint of offense in his voice although - must have been because of the lunatic thing. Either he spoke aloud, or he was psychic which Masaomi really hoped wasn't true.

"I wear this mask since Japan's air is so filthy! I don't understand how you people can stand it. Absolutely disgusting…" The blonde let out a laugh at his reasoning and was overjoyed to hear a familiar voice call out to him, sparing him from having to go through a lecture about how filthy Japan's air was, which was no doubt about to come.

"Kida-senpai! Over here!" Aoba, along with Neko and a few of their other friends that he was never introduced to were seated at a long rectangular shaped table stationed by the window that gave whoever was looking out a view of the parking lot. Aoba was motioning for him to join them, which the blonde complied without a second thought.

He settled himself down in between Aoba and Neko with a huff, causing Aoba to chuckle. "Thanks for saving me from that lecture that was no doubt going to come. He had that 'lecture voice' that all teachers have." The occupants at the table all let out a laugh at that one, while Aoba simply waved it off.

"Don't worry about that, I felt that I should spare you from _that_ lecture. Especially on your first day and how he gives us that lecture about every other day." Neko let out a groan at the reminder, obviously not having too many great memories with the 'Japan's filthy air' lecture.

"Every other day?! Seriously? Kill me now…" Neko gave a sound of agreement, not looking too pleased at this lovely moment. Can't really blame him though, can you?

Aoba merely laughed at the blonde who by now had taken it in him to set his arms down on the table and rest his forehead on his forearms. "I can't wait to go home… Thank God none of my teachers gave me homework."

"Hard day?"

"Pretty much, yup. First days are always the worst."

"True, let's go home then."

Masaomi turned to give the blue haired male an annoyed skeptical look, "We caaaaan't. Not until another hooooour." At the drawled out syllables, Neko let out a snicker.

"We _could_ always just skip you know?" Masaomi made a sound of protest, "It's too much work to use my super awesome ninja skills to get away undetected."

Letting out an amused chuckle, Aoba turned to Neko to start a conversation, fully set on leaving the blonde alone, that way he could rest for a bit. Ignoring the smug look on Neko's face that was aimed at him, he simply smacked the cat obsessed male's hand away when he tried snaking it around the unsuspecting blonde's waist, much to his annoyance.

Sometime after Aoba ended their conversation and focused on having one with Neko and the others, the three Masaomi was originally with entered the classroom and began to look around for the blonde. Normally, they would've happily sat with the blonde, but when they noticed who exactly it was that he had chosen to sit with, they tossed that thought into the waste bin.

The relationship between the Dollars and Blue Squares wasn't a firm one, which leads to trouble all the time. There is a select few that are capable of getting along well though. Take Mikado and Aoba for example, the two of them are pretty good friends. In all honesty, Neko and the others and good friends with Mikado as well. It makes everyone wonder why he didn't join the Blue Squares instead of the Dollars, when ever asked; Mikado just gives a small shrug.

The three friends sat down at the empty table next to the one Masaomi and the others were seated at, just to keep an eye out.

No one took notice to the raven haired male that entered and not one person noticed when said male snuck up behind Masaomi to give him a scare. Wrapping his arms around the blonde's waist, he shouted into the blonde's ear. "Boo!"

This caused the blonde to jump and turn his head around to face the guilty culprit with an annoyed look, his annoyance only seemed to grow when he saw whom exactly it was that decided it'd be fun to scare the crap out of him. "What the hell? Izaya! You scared the crap out of me!"

The other occupants of the table Masaomi currently sat at – along as the spying table beside them – jumped in surprise and turned to see what the entire ruckus was about.

Letting out a laugh at the blonde's reaction, Izaya grinned, arms still tightly wrapped around Masaomi's waist. "I apologize, I couldn't help myself. Come now, why don't you join me over there? Aoba and his little friends appear to be lulling you to sleep, now don't they?"

Masaomi could of swore he heard Aoba and the others give a low growl when their eyes came upon Izaya which he supposed wouldn't end well whatsoever, so being the sensible person he was, he tried to hurriedly shoo Izaya away before a fight broke out. Masaomi betted his money that one would, with the way things were currently heading.

"They were just letting me rest is all, since I've been having a long day and everything. Aoba and everyone were just thinking about my wellbeing. I'm fine here, really." Masaomi began yanking on Izaya's arms, trying to pry them off his waist, but he wouldn't budge, much to the blonde's annoyance.

Izaya ignored the others who were obviously displeased with him being there so close to them, he simply pretended that it was just him and Masaomi, just to get on their nerves some more. "Oh, is that so? Let me help you relax a bit then." Izaya started snaking his hands down lower than the blonde's comfort zone.

Aoba must have taken notice causing him to instantly interfere by grabbing onto the older male's hands to cease their movement. Izaya's hands stopped once he felt Aoba's hands latch onto his own, sending a glare towards the blunette. He was really getting sick and tired of Aoba getting in his way all the damn time, especially today.

"Would you kindly let go of my hands and get out of my way? I advise you do as I say, before you regret it, Aoba-kun. You don't want anyone in your gang to get hurt because of your silly actions now, do you?" Aoba simply went a bit tense, but didn't let go of Izaya's hands, although he did send a quick glance to Neko and the others who assured him they would be fine and to simply kick his ass with a single look. With a bond like theirs, one look can say a lot.

"Don't look down on us, Orihara. We're much stronger and capable than you give us credit for." By now, this whole ordeal had caught the attention of everyone present, they were all silently watching, curious as to what was about to happen.

Izaya let out a scoff before bursting into a fit of laughter, "Well, maybe your gang, the Blue Squares is, but you. Now, I'm not so sure there. How old are you again, Aoba-kun? Fifteen, right? Fifteen years old and yet you still allow your older brother Izumii to abuse you. You can't stop it, can you? No matter what you do or how hard you try. That just proves how disgustingly weak you are and yet here you are, thinking that you can take me on. Me, who is much stronger than your dear older brother, you make me laugh."

Neko and the others ceased their glaring and instead sent worried glances Aoba's way, Masaomi noticed their worry and assumed that this was a touchy subject for the blunette. Aoba clenched his teeth, grip on Izaya's hands and glare faltering a bit. "I—"

"Oh, or maybe you really enjoy the abuse he gives you. It would explain why you're always trying to pick a fight with me. You're a masochist, aren't you? Do you let him force you into sexual intercourse as well? Do you enjoy that as well?"

Aoba remained silent, his only response being the glare sent Izaya's way. "Oh? What's this? Cat got your tongue? Not so tough after all—" Masaomi had enough, he forcefully dragged Izaya's hands off – he knew his long nails would come in handy someday – and shoved the male back. He attempted to throw a punch at the ravenette, but missed since Izaya happened to dodge in the nick of time.

The attempted punch took everyone who saw it by surprise, especially Aoba and Izaya. Izaya had stumbled back in surprise and fell onto his bottom all while staring up at the blonde, eyes wide. "Izaya, will you shut up? What do you think gives you the right to talk to Aoba like that? Aoba hasn't said a damn thing to you! Yet here you are, being a jerk about what you know are touchy subjects! It's disgusting the way you act like that, do you pick on others just to bring yourself more attention?"

Sending a deep intimidating glare Izaya's way, Masaomi clenched his fist, waiting for the raven haired male to make some sort of response, but he didn't. He just sat there, too shocked to say or do anything, everyone was believe it or not. No one had been expecting the goofy flirty jokester to try and land a punch on Izaya, not even Mikado. "Kida-kun, I—"

Izaya began to speak, what he was going to say, no one really knew. Hell, Izaya barely even knew what he was trying to say. "Save your breath. I don't wanna hear another peep from you, not unless you're going to apologize to Aoba."

Over his shock, Izaya rose to his feet and dusted himself off, sending an annoyed glare the blonde's way. "Oh? Tell me, why would I do that, hm?"

"Do you realize how much of a dick you're being? Or is it just you like to hear yourself talk? Either way, if that's how you're going to act, forget about us being friends. I don't care if we're neighbors or whatever, don't you _ever_ talk to me again. I don't want jerks as friends."

"If you don't want what you call _jerks_ as friends, I suggest you quickly end your friendship with our dear Aoba right now." He put his hand up in a way to shush the blonde, "Ah, ah, ah. Before you make another retort or try and hit me again, I suggest you actually think about it. Is Aoba really who you think he is?"

Masaomi glanced at Aoba, "Who I'm friends with is for me to decide. Not someone who thinks too highly of themselves like you and treats everyone like pawns."

"I only treat my lovely humans as pawns because that's simply what they are. Everyone is the same, no exceptions. All of them, equal before God."

"God, huh? Are you trying to say that _you_ are God?"

"No, I wasn't actually. Though, I _am_ the closest thing to God. Maybe ever better." Masaomi merely scoffed.

Everyone went silent after that, no one dared to speak up due to all the tension, not even Shingen wanted to speak up, but he decided he should. Considering the fact that he was the adult and it was his job as their teacher. Rising up from behind his hiding spot under his desk, he cleared his throat in order to grab everyone's attention. "Ehem, I think that's enough for now. All of you please have a seat and continue whatever it is you were doing previous. Izaya, Aoba, Masaomi. As far away from each other as possible."

Izaya and Masaomi stood there, glaring at each other for a few seconds more before complying with Shingen's wishes and sitting down in their respective seats. Everyone still remained silent and unmoving, tension high in the air.

"Well, uh, kiddos. Feel free to chat, work on homework, play on your phone, just do something that isn't fighting, okay?" Shingen took a seat in his spin chair and got to work on his own things, though everyone could tell he was just as nervous as the rest of them. No one wanted to be in the way of a fight after all. Especially one that involved Izaya.

Aoba sent a glance towards the blonde, trying to read his expression and figure out what was going on through his head, but that was rendered useless since the blonde angled his head so that his bangs covered his eyes which were an important necessary part in expression reading. Letting out a quiet sigh, he decided to work on his homework, setting the major problem aside to deal with later when everyone was calmer.

Silence covered the room for several more minutes afterwards, twenty minutes remained until the school day was officially over and everyone was still on edge. Soon though, the awkward silence was interrupted by a couple of females, Izaya worshippers no doubt, shouting towards Shingen.

"Mr. Shingen! Aren't you going to give the new kid detention or something?! He tried to punch Master Izaya in the face for crying out loud!" Others shouted their agreement, which just had Masaomi letting out a sigh, since all of this was to be expected. Though the whole _Master Izaya _got on his nerves and had him clenching his teeth, trying to get his temper back in check.

Shingen, who was starting to dislike this problem more and more, quickly lowered himself under his desk, worried for his safety. His pride was on the line though, so as confident as could make himself sound, he shouted towards the rampaging teens. "No, I shall not be giving him detention. It's his first day; let's just leave it at a warning. Besides, he didn't actually hit Izaya and well, Izaya _did_ provoke him." The females who had spoke up didn't like their answer and started arguing and throwing things at Shingen's desk.

Biting onto his bottom lip in annoyance and slight nervousness, Masaomi rose and slammed his hands down on the table, efficiently shutting everyone up and causing them to jump in alarm. "If you want me to take detention, get suspended, or hell, even expelled then fine! I don't give a damn! Now, would you just shut up and quit harassing Mr. Shingen who didn't deserve all your craziness! I can't believe you guys, you're all a disgrace to females everywhere. "

Of course he talked about his ideal women in a situation like this, he even heard Mikado let out a snort, which just so happened to make his lips quirk up in a small, barely noticeable, smile.

"I can't believe you guys worship that guy like he's some type of God, you even called him _master_! That's just plain out ridiculous."

The females stared at the blonde in fear and annoyance, more so fear. He may have taken all of this a bit too far, but in all honesty, he could care less. He disliked how much control Izaya had over everyone and he was sure as hell going to change that if it was the last thing he'd do. He's even willing to give up his possible popularity with the women, which'll no doubt be a huge dampen in his mood from now on.

A few silent minutes of everyone just staring at him in fear and surprise after Masaomi finished his little rant, Aoba reached up and yanked onto the blonde's sleeve to catch his attention, "Kida-senpai, sit down, please."

He opened his mouth to protest, but one look from Aoba had him immediately shutting his mouth and complying with his wishes, heaving out a sigh.

Once seated, Shingen - who had popped his head out once Masaomi started speaking up – looked between the blonde and the rest of the class over and over again, expecting someone to speak up and begin another fight.

The bell for dismissal had long since rang, but no one stood up for fear of being the center of Masaomi's anger, which by now had long left him. Shingen let out a quiet sigh, muttering to himself under his breath. "I'm too old for this…"

Hurriedly packing his bags, Masaomi stood up and silently took his leave, not wanting to be around anyone at the moment, too afraid of his anger taking control and making him lash out again. Keeping his head down, he walked through the front door of Raira and all the way to the front gate. Halfway towards the gate, he stopped and turned around when he heard a shout, "Kida-senpai, hold up!"

Aoba was running towards him, Neko in tow. Once the three of them had caught up, he mumbled a quiet, "What?"

"I just wanted to thank you for defending me like that, I had never told you about my…" Taking in a deep breath, Aoba let it out once again, looking pained. "About my brother being a sensitive subject for me to talk about. You seemed to have noticed and stood up for me when I just froze up. No one has ever done that for me, so I appreciate it. You even went as far as arguing with a bunch of Izaya's followers."

Blinking in surprise, a genuine smile appeared on his face, one that hadn't been present for quite awhile. "No problem! That's what friends are for, right?"

Aoba gave a small smile back, nodding his head in agreement. "Mind if I walk with you home? My house is in the same direction as yours, so…"

"That's fine with me."

Neko stood there, looking to be in a big debate with himself while the other two started walking again. Aoba noticed the distressed look on Neko's face and gave a knowing smile, "Neko, are you coming or what?"

Neko went red in embarrassment, "Yes! Er, I mean n-no, uh…" He trailed off, scratching his cheek awkwardly, resulting in Masaomi and Aoba to laugh. "Come on, the more the merrier, right Aoba?" Aoba nodded his head in agreement. Neko looked between the two of them before hanging his head in defeat. "Fine."

The three of them continued their walk, but stopped once again when the principal – who was waiting at the gate – called out to the blonde. "Hey, Kida! How was your first day? You make any friends?"

"It was…" He adverted his gaze, thinking back to his last class and what had transpired, "It was interesting I guess." Kadota looked at him suspiciously, but didn't say anything about it, much to Masaomi's relief. He may have acted all tough earlier, but he really didn't want to get suspended and god forbid, expelled. His parents would get pissed and not to mention Mikado.

"Oh, and yeah. I made tons of friends!" _As well as enemies…_

"That's good, I haven't heard a complaint from any of the teachers about you today yet." Kadota glanced at his watch, a frown appearing immediately. "I want to hear more about how your first day went, but I gotta get going. Lots of work to do, see you later. Oh, try and stay out of trouble, alright?"

Masaomi gave a nod and waved Kadota off, cursing his luck. Kadota, being the principal after all, was bound to hear about what happened between him and Izaya. Hopefully all he would end up with is a warning, like Shingen had said. _I better pray tonight…_

Aoba, bless his soul, being as kind as he was, gave the blonde's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, "Don't worry, I'm sure he won't be too hard on you. He just hates how all of his students seem to be troublemakers, if you couldn't tell."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but still." Masaomi allowed a pout to form on his face. "Let's just go before Izaya comes out."

The other two gave nods of agreement and the three of them continued on their way.

Keeping his eye on the blonde's retreating back, Izaya let a small amused smile appear on his face when a majority of the students let out a relieved breath. Although, that smile was immediately wiped off and replaced with an annoyed frown when he was bombarded with questions and curses sent Masaomi's way.

"Master Izaya! Are you alright?!"

"Geez, who does that new kid think he is?!"

"Wait till I see him again!"

Sentences similar to these were all shouted in his face, causing him to start getting a headache.

"I ask of you to treat Kida-kun the same as normal. Don't be rude to him or anything. Treat him like a friend, okay?"

Everyone stopped in their tracks and looked at him in pure shock, everyone was expecting their king to be pissed and demand that everyone be cruel to the blonde. "Why?! He disrespected you!"

"He doesn't know who Aoba really is and what his goals are. He currently believes that Aoba is nothing but kind, which in due time he'll learn is wrong. Aoba is anything, but kind. Though, I suppose I'm no better myself. Don't worry; I'll convince him to be on my side of all things."

Not waiting for them to respond, he stood up and waltzed out of the classroom, smirk present on his face. _I've taken an interest in you. Whether you're unfortunate or lucky is up to you to decide, Kida-kun. Why I've taken an interest in you, you ask? You went against my expectations. I look forward to seeing how this all plays out. What you will do, I wonder._

* * *

**Leave a review letting me know your thoughts on today's chapter and if you have anything that you'd like to see in future chapters!**


	9. Chapter 9

**This chapter didn't quite turn out the way I wanted, but I figured it was good enough. It was really only a filler chapter, a relationship or two was formed, but not much I suppose. This chapter came about two weeks later than the last one instead of months after. That's good, right? Hopefully, I'll be able to get the next one up soon. I just have to figure out what's going to happen next...**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing mentioned belongs to me, everything belongs to their respective owners. **

* * *

Chapter 9

An Arm Wrestle is the Start of a New Friendship?

Thirty minutes have passed since all the students had finally gathered their courage and exited the classroom; the only one left in the room is none other than Kishitani Shingen himself. Seated at his desk, he had his elbows propped up on the wood; fingers interlaced, and chin resting atop his fingers in a thoughtful manner. He was thinking over the events that had occurred during his last period, the conflict between Izaya and Masaomi as well as the annoyed shouts from about half of the other students present. He was in the midst of a gigantic debate with his inner thoughts and beliefs.

_Should I tell Mr. Kadota what transpired here today? I'm a teacher, better yet an adult! Isn't it my duty to inform the higher ups of what the hooligans do? Although, I took care of the situation myself, didn't I? I prevented the fight from going any further than it already did. I left them off with a warning, especially since it's that new kid's first day, what was his name again? Ah, that's right Kida Masaomi- wait just a minute! What if they continued where they left off after class?! Then I definitely failed my job! _

Shingen continued panicking, making several strange motions with his arms thanks to the massive amount of panic he felt at the moment. Heaving out a tired sigh and frustrated groan, he hung his head in utter defeat. "I'm too old for this…"

"Well, you said, not me."

The sound of another voice fill the room caused him to jump and let out a startled yelp, – manly he swears – placing a hand on his heart to try and bring it back to its normal beating speed, he quickly looking up to see just who it was who thought it'd be fun to sneak up on him and make his heart jump through the roof. It was his son, no less. It was to be expected though; Shinra loved scaring the shit out of his father whenever he could. "Shinra! How dare you scare your father like that!"

Raising a simple unamused brow, Shinra gave a careless shrug, looking as though he had better places to be, like bugging Celty probably. "It's not my fault you were dozing off."

Jumping to his feet, he pointed an accusing finger at Shinra who leaned against the door frame in a lazy, tired even, manner. "I wasn't _dozing off_ just so you know, I was merely thinking about the trouble my last class brought me and call me _father_! Geez, you're becoming more and more like that Celty! I knew from the start, ever since I met that nasty Dullahan, that your relationship wouldn't be a good one!"

"How many times must I tell you to speak about Celty more respectfully? She did nothing wrong and yet you're always being rude. If you want to continue being in my life and this family as my father, then be more respectful towards my wife!"

"She isn't actually your wife, Shinra."

"My soon-to-wife!"

"Not if I can help it!"

"How come Emilia can handle my relationship with Celty better than you can? I'm not her biological-son, yet she cares for me and respects my decisions more than you ever have."

Shingen opened his mouth to make a retort, but thought better of it with one look from Shinra that had him instantly shutting his mouth. At this, Shinra let out a sigh and raked his hand through his hair. "Why don't you just enlighten me as to why you don't like Celty, dad?" Pulling one of Shingen's extra rolling chairs next to said male's desk, Shinra plopped himself down onto the seat, looking towards his father, excepting a logical explanation.

"Shinra, it's not that I dislike Celty, it's just she's well, how do I put it, you know, Celty. There's no other way for you amazing father to explain it." Shinra rolled his eyes at the narcissism his father used, resting his chin on his propped hand. "Try and explain it in better detail, like you would do your experiments, oh amazing father of mine."

"Aha! So you have _finally_ come to realize just how awesome your ever loving and caring father is!{" Shingen went into another round of his loud and obnoxious laughter, even going as far as to throw his hands into the air much like a mad scientist would do.

"That was sarcasm, dad. You should be able to tell, the kids here use it all the time if you didn't notice. Now, stop changing the subject and get down to explaining, you sad excuse for a father."

Shingen began to fidget in his seat under Shinra's gaze, the way Shinra looked at him was like the way Shingen looked at the specimen he dissected. Yeah, not a good comparison. Shingen twirled his thumbs, trying his hardest to avoid Shinra's gaze. He was an amazing father yes, but sometimes his son expected far too much from him. Like right now for instance.

"She's—You know, I should probably get going to check on Emilia. She must be worried sick since I haven't spoken with her since this morning, with me being too busy grading papers during lunch period and all—bye!" Shingen made a mad dash for the door, in hope of making a stealthy exit, but much to his disappointment, Shinra beat him to it. Yanking him back from the door, Shinra tossed him onto the chair behind the desk and sat back onto his own. "I'm sure she's fine. She must know how busy you are and I'm positive she's busy too."

"Call her mother!"

"Are you absolutely positive you want to go through this conversation all over again, dad? Why don't you just be a responsible adult and tell me why you dislike Celty so much?"

"I told you, it's not that I dislike her—"

"Don't tell me you're secretly in love with her and plan to steal her away from me!"

Shingen spluttered, "Of course not! I have Emilia thank you very much and no way in hell would I have feelings for that woman!"

"That's a relief, but again. Don't speak about Celty with so much hate and venom." The angle Shinra had positioned his head made a glare of light appear on his glasses, therefore making his current expression unreadable, which in return had Shingen gulping in fear. He knew fairly well just how capable his son was. He was, after all, _his_ son.

Hours seemed to tick by at an unbearably slow rate as the two grown men sat in a tension filled silence, which Shingen was really starting to hate. Much to his relief, the cursed silence that had been getting on his nerves for the past two to three hours was broken by Shinra who released a sigh of defeat. "Fine, if you don't want to tell me, then don't. Just _try_ and be more respectful towards Celty, I'll tell her to be respectful towards you, too. Alright?"

Shingen nodded his head, glad to be done with _that _topic, for the time being at least. "You have yourself a deal, kiddo."

A small grateful smile appeared on Shinra's lips, "Thanks, dad. It means a lot to me that you're trying to be civil with her. I take back what I said about you being a sorry excuse for a father. Now then, what was bothering you so much about your last class?"

The smile that formed on Shingen's face when Shinra said that he took back what he said instantly left at the mention of his last class; talk about ruining the heartwarming mood. Letting out a sigh, he shook his head, as if just doing that would make the memory go away. "It's just my last class was causing trouble again and I'm not sure if I should let Mr. Kadota know about what happened. I stopped the fight before it could escalate, but I'm worried about them having another go at it after school hours or tomorrow."

Shinra gave a thoughtful hum, understanding what his father meant completely, since he was faced with a similar situation not too long ago. "Who exactly was in the fight this time?"

"Izaya and the new kid."

He raised a quizzical brow, "New kid? Oh, you mean Masaomi?"

"Yup."

At the confirmation of this news, his eyes widened in shock. "Are you sure they weren't just playing around or anything?" Shingen shook his head, no. "I know what I saw which didn't look like playing around, they were ready to pounce on each other. I'm sure that meant they were ready to tear each other's throat's out, unless that was some weird sexual tension between them earlier."

Shinra gave his father a weird look that practically screamed that he was grossed out, it didn't help that he had a bright imagination that allowed him to imagine that sexual tension playing out. "That's just—I can't unsee it, thanks dad."

"I'm in the same boat, kid. Anyways, the new kid actually threw a fist at Izaya so I don't think it was sexual tension. Unless they're into that sort of kinky stuff—" Shinra cut his father off by smacking his dad upside the head, "Please, knock it off."

Massaging his head, he cleared his throat awkwardly, giving his son a cautious look, not wanting to be hit upside the head again after all. "Like I was saying, the new kid threw a punch at Izaya, but missed by just a few centimeters. I was honestly disappointed he didn't get hit."

This time, Shinra let out a laugh at his father's little extra comment, "Oh, but the kid did make Izaya stumble to the ground. Everyone, including myself, was shocked that _the_ Izaya stumbled down because of Kida."

Shinra raised his brows in surprise, "Really? Not even Shizuo can do that so easily… I'm sure Shizuo would love to meet Kida." Shingen nodded his head in agreement, "Though, I'd be worried about that kid's safety around Shizuo."

"Anyways, it's kind of a shocker to hear that they got into a fist fight. During my class, they seemed to be having a ball together. To think they'd get into a fight so soon… Well, this _is_ Izaya we're talking about, so it's understandable, but still. What exactly happened? What started the brawl?"

Shingen scratched the back of his head in thought, "Let's see, Izaya began to insult Kuronuma Aoba again, he threw insult after insult at the poor kid. During that time is when Kida got up and punched him, well tried to. The two then began to argue back and forth like an old married couple, I had managed to calm them down, but a few students weren't too happy with me letting Kida off with a warning. I then got verbally abused, which soon escalated to them throwing random objects at me. The monsters…"

Shinra let out a laugh, but smiled sympathetically, he knew firsthand just how monstrous the kids could be, since he had a few similar run-ins with them. "The kid stood up for me, giving a little angry rant that silenced them with fear, he then stormed out of the room when the bell rang."

Shinra gave a nod of understanding, a frown appearing on his face. "That makes more sense. If Izaya was insulting Aoba, a good friend of Masaomi's, then no wonder he got upset. Unfortunately, that's all Izaya knows how to do: piss of others. It's too bad; I thought he would be the only person capable of getting along with Izaya too."

"I don't know, but that kids had guts. Starting a fight with Izaya like that on his first day and when all of his followers were around. Believe it or not, I admire the kid." Shinra gave Shingen an amused look, "We'll have to keep are our eyes on them. It'd also be best to let Kyohei know what happened, so make sure you tell him soon. That way, we can prevent another fight from breaking out. Since that's the last thing this school needs."

Shingen nodded his head in understanding and made a quick prayer to whatever God was up there, currently listening to requests, praying that he wouldn't get yelled at for the hooligan's actions.

"Alright, with that aside, Emilia and Celty are waiting for us outside; let's not keep them waiting any longer." Shinra stood up from the chair and rolled it back to its proper spot before leading the way to the parking lot, where Celty and Emilia stood by their car, awaiting the two males' arrival.

"Ah, there you two are, Celty and I were just contemplating on whether or not we should go on back in and look for toy two, right Celty? All these boys know how to do is worry us." Celt gave a few nods of her head, before walking over to Shinra and smacking him upside the head with her bright yellow cat-like helmet.

"Ah, Celty! The way you show me your undying love knows no bounds and only helps in getting me to love you more! I just wish you were that forceful in bed! " Shinra continued to rant on and on about their 'young love', even doing some weird squirm in his spot, that did nothing but increase Celty's embarrassment and her need to smack him against the head again.

"That boy, his love for her continues to sicken me. How did my boy become such a pervert, Emilia honey?" Emilia gave a shrug while giving a few giggles at the display in front of her and her husband's reaction.

Celty quickly typed on her phone and then shoved her screen in front of Shingen's face while trying to get out of Shinra's grasp on her waist, an annoyed look on her face. "He obviously gets that from you!"

"I told you to call me father!" He pulled out a piece of poster paper that had the word father written on it in big black ink, though as to where exactly he stored it, no one knew. Hell, people doubted that Shingen himself even knew!

"…."

Clearing his throat and putting the sign away, he pointed an accusing finger at her, finally deciding to address the main topic before he made a bigger fool of himself. "How exactly does he get it from me, do tell! You don't see me always jumping onto Emilia and shouting ridiculous nonsense about our love, do you?"

As if she expected him to say that, Celty calmly pulled up a video on her device of Shingen doing in fact, just that. She gave him a, _what's this then _look.

On the video, quite a distance away was Shingen in all his glory, holding onto Emilia's arm, nuzzling his face into the limb. _"Emilia, my darling! My love! My world! My everythi—"_

Shingen snatched the phone out of Celty's grasp and instantly paused the video, looking for a way to delete it. "I think that's enough now, don't you Celty? Now, how the hell do you delete this thing…?"

Rolling her eyes, Celty snatched her phone back and slipped it into between her breasts for safe keeping. She had a feeling that Shingen would be trying to steal it back so that he could get rid of the video from earlier for good, that's why she put it where she did. He surely had the decency to not go as far as going into her breasts, right? Oh, how Celty hoped he did.

Shinra chuckled at their antics, "Come on, guys. Let's go home."

Celty and Emilia nodded their heads in agreement, following Shinra's lead into heading into the car. Emilia headed in to the passenger's seat and Shinra in the backseat. Celty remained standing there next to Shingen, just staring at him for a few seconds, lost in thought. "Celty? Dad? Come on."

Celty did as Shinra told, quickly entering the driver's seat. Shingen heaved out a sigh, and moved to get in, but before he could even do so much as step a foot near the car, they drove off, leaving him in the dust, standing there, stupefied. "Hey! Wait for me!"

Shingen began to run after the moving vehicle, but was ashamed to find that he wasn't fast enough for the speeding away vehicle.

"…I'm way too damn old for this…" 

About halfway to Mikado's house, the three males had to part ways for their houses were in different directions completely. The three males bid each other goodbye, waving at each other before continuing their walk to their separate homes.

Masaomi had shoved his hands in his cream sweater pocket and began to drift off into his thoughts, humming along to a tune he remembered hearing in some anime. "Man, I wonder how Mikado's going to act towards me later today when he gets home. Considering what happened in Shingen's class. He'll probably freak…" He was just glad that Mikado had to stay after school for a Student Council meeting, it lengthened his remaining time to live.

"Hey Mister! Why are you talking to yourself? Are you on drugs or something? Hey, hey, did you hear that, Kuru-nee?! He's on drugs! I wonder what type… Wait, wait, wait! Don't tell me! I wanna guess!"

Turning around to the mysterious new voice that had called out to him in a rather rude fashion, Masaomi's eyes came upon two girls who were quite the pair to say the least. The one who did all the shouting at him was young girl, about his age, who wore her dark brown hair in two braided pigtails along with glasses; she currently wore what appeared to be her school uniform, which consisted of a dark—dark everything to be perfectly honest.

The other girl, who Masaomi assumed was the first girl's twin sister had the same hair color, but much shorter, her hair only reached up to about her shoulders while her sister's reached to about halfway of her back. Unlike the first sister, this one wore what appeared to be rather tight gym clothes instead of the school uniform, as to why, the blonde had no idea.

"…I've never seen someone to who does drugs before…" The sister that had remained quiet a majority of the time tilted her head in what could only be described as fascination.

"I haven't either Kuru-nee! Wait, actually I think we have!"

"Have we?"

"Yup! Well, for one, I'm sure Iza-nii does drugs. Secondly, remember that group of teenagers we beat up during summer break? Yeah? Well, I remember finding some drugs on them. Not to mention, there's those girls in our middle school, the suuuuper slutty ones. The list can go on and on."

"Oh. That's right."

Deciding now would be a good time to clear up this big misunderstanding; he crossed his arms and looked at them, offended that they would think such a thing. "Hey! I don't do drugs!"

"You don't?! Why didn't ya say so then, Mr. Weirdo?" The pig-tailed girl let out a laugh at his pout that began to form, while the other girl just stayed quiet, staring at him in confusion.

"The name is Masaomi, Kida Masaomi, not Weirdo." The pout deepened, he hated being made fun of by women. Especially pretty women, and let's just say that these two fine ladies are rather pretty. He probably would've began hitting on them too, if it weren't for the way their conversation started.

"Oh, that's a weird name. I think Weirdo suits you better, don't you Kuru-nee?" 'Kuru-nee' nodded her head in agreement, then turned to look at Masaomi again. "My name is Kururi."

"Ah! That's right! I almost forgot to introduce myself! Sorry about that! I'm Mairu!" She gave the blonde one of her big shit-eating grins, while Kururi just gave him a small smile.

Even if they had started out rude, he couldn't help _not_ flirting with them. "Two pretty names for two beautiful ladies! I'm honored to be graced with your presence. I could die happily now." He bowed to them in a dramatic Kida Masaomi way, his own grin present on his face.

"Would you really? Let's try it out then!" Mairu brought of a flick-knife from under her skirt and pointed it at the blonde, "Are you ready to die, Weirdo—Ow! Kuru-nee! What was that for?!"

Kururi had smacked her sister upside the head in order to stop Mairu from murdering an innocent male in broad daylight. "Be nice…"

"I am! He said he could die happily now so I wanted to see if it was true!"

A bead of nervous sweat dripped down the side of his head, he couldn't believe she was actually about to kill him because he said he could die happily. Boy, he sure did just become ninety-nine percent more religious. He'd probably get down on his knees and begin thanking God for sparing him.

He stood there, listening to the two bicker back and forth, mainly Mairu did all the talking though, he noticed that Kururi didn't say much and began to wonder why she didn't. Scratching the back of his neck, he looked at the knife cautiously and yanked their attention back to him, where it belonged. "Is it really that weird for me to talk to myself?"

Mairu and Kururi both shook their heads at the same time, "Nah, we do it all the time, right Kuru-nee?" Kururi gave a nod of her head.

"Now, tell me, what's this about somebody freaking out? Is that some sort of dance? Can you teach me how to 'freak'? Teach both me and Kuru-nee!" Mairu and Kururi dropped their bags and rushed forward to grab onto Masaomi's hands.

At their hopeful curious looks, he let out a laugh. "It's not a dance! At least I don't think so… Anyways, I was just talking about how my best friend is going to freak later today when he gets home. Meaning he's probably going to be pissed and rant my ear off about how I got into a fight today…"

"Oh." They said simultaneously and let go of his hands, their disappointment easily detected.

"You got into a fight? How? With who? Do we know them? Did you win? Lose? You probably lost, huh? You don't look _that_ strong, so. Who's your best friend by the way? I want to see if he can teach me how to 'freak'." Mairu continued to babble on and on, asking question, after question, after question. She threw in a few comments and opinions here and there as well.

Kururi smacked her upside the head again, "Shut up. One at a time, Mairu."

"Oww, Kuru-nee!" Mairu held onto the back of her head in pain, pouting at Kururi, causing Masaomi to let out a laugh at their antics. "Anyways, to answer your questions, at least the ones I remember you asking, I got into a fight with another friend of mine who was insulting this other friend of mine. No one won or lost, the teacher separated us before we could actually properly brawl it out. Now, if we did, I totally would have one. I mean, just check out these guns!"

He flexed his arms in order to show off his supposed 'guns', causing Mairu and Kururi to let out a laugh of their own. "Guns?! What guns?! I bet Kuru-nee and I are ten times stronger than you!"

"Is that a challenge?" Masaomi sent her a challenging grin.

"It is!"

"Fine! Let's arm wrestle and see who the strongest is!"

"Yeah, let's do it! Come on Kuru-nee! Let's kick his ass!" Kururi gave a nod of agreement, looking far more determined for an arm wrestle than she should be, actually Mairu did too.

The two girls picked up their bags and grabbed onto Masaomi's hands, Mairu Masaomi's right and Kururi Masaomi's left. They began to drag him to where, he didn't exactly know as of now, "Where are we going?"

"We're going to a nearby park so that we can do our arm wrestle." Mairu happily informed him, stupid grin on her face.

"Shouldn't you guys get going home? I'm sure your family is worried about you two. What about homework?" Masaomi raised a curious brow, afraid he would get them in trouble.

"It's not like we really do our homework anyways, so the teacher doesn't care, right Kuru-nee?"

"Mhm."

"I wish I had it that easy…" Masaomi sulked a bit, thanking the Gods once again for not getting homework today.

"As for our family worrying about us not being home, you don't have to worry. Our parents aren't here and our brother could care less about us." Masaomi couldn't help but notice how Mairu's voice took a gloomier turn during her last two sentences and how Kururi's grip on his hand tightened.

"I guess that means I have you two all to myself! That also means we get to have more fun! Come on! Let's get that arm wrestle started!" He gave both of their hands a reassuring squeeze and a bright grin before quickening his steps, wanting to get them back up in high spirits, having a new found huge dislike for seeing them depressed.

They both gave him a nod of their heads and a huge grin of their own, deciding it be best to follow Masaomi's lead. Without him knowing, they shared a glance, nodding to each other after awhile. It would seem as though they would get along splendidly with Masaomi after all. They had no regrets to calling out to him when they did, that's for sure.

They made it to the neighborhood park and instantly made their way to the first clear picnic table they saw, completely ignoring the strange looks they got from other occupants of the park. They three of them dropped their bags onto the bench and sat opposite of each other, all three of them looked determined to win this battle, no matter how silly it is.

"Who am I going against first? Or am I going against both of you at once?" Masaomi cracked his knuckles, watching as the two females did the same.

"Against the both of us at once, that is if you can handle it." Mairu gave him a smirk, which sent some shivers down his spine. It wasn't that he was scared of her smirk; it's just that it reminded him of someone else's.

"I can handle it, trust me. Now, let's do this!" He propped his elbows up on the table and stuck his hand out for the two of them to grab onto.

Mairu and Kururi propped their elbows up onto the table too and then connected their hands with his in a strong lock hold. "On three, okay?" Kururi and Masaomi both nodded their heads in agreement.

"One." Mairu counted down.

"Two." Kururi added.

"Three!" Masaomi shouted and they began their wrestle.

Focusing on both females who appeared to be much stronger than they looked was more difficult than he originally expected. They were kicking his ass right now, but he wasn't about to give up just yet, oh no, no, no.

"Heh, you're holding up better than we originally thought you would, isn't that right, Kuru-nee?" Mairu sent a glance towards her sister who had her brows furrowed in concentration. "Mhm."

"Believe that I would've won that fight now?"

"Nope! If you can't beat two little girls at an arm wrestle than no way can you win in a fight."

"I haven't lost yet, you know? Besides, you two are killer strong. I'm impressed. "

"Of course we are, we're not some little helpless girls that can be taken down easily. We were trained by the best fighters after all!"

"Oh? You guys take fighting lessons? That's cool!" He was actually amazed that they took fighting lessons, he didn't know many people who did. They seemed determined on not being helpless little girls too which only succeeded in increasing his levels of respect for them.

"Yup! You should join! I'm sure Mikage wouldn't mind having you around! You're pretty cool, right Kuru-nee?"

"That's right. You're fun."

A smile made its way onto his face, "Thanks guys. I think you're fun too!"

"So, are you going to join, Weirdo?"

Masaomi pouted at the nickname, "It's Masaomi, not Weirdo. Actually, I'd take any nickname from you two." He gave them a playful wink which they just snickered at. "As for joining, I dunno. Maybe if I have time or feel like it I will."

"If we win, you join." Mairu looked at Kururi surprised she made such a bet, but grinned and nodded her head. "I like the way you're thinking, Kuru-nee! What do you say, Weirdo? We have a deal?"

Masaomi thought it over and nodded, "Why the heck not?"

"What about us?"

"Yeah, Kuru-nee is right. What about us?"

"Hm? What do you mean?" Masaomi tilted his head in confusion, wondering just what the hell they meant. "What do we do if you win?"

His mouth went in the shape of an 'o'. "If I win then you two have to… You two have to continue hanging out with me. That good?"

They nodded their heads and then Mairu purposely loud whispered to Kururi. "He's making us hang out with him because he's lonely." Kururi then purposely loud whispered back to Mairu. "Disgusting." Pouting, he ignored them and instead refocused his attention on their match.

A sudden wind picked up and brought all the dust and dirt their way, some of the dust got inside Masaomi's nose, causing him to sneeze which then led to him losing the arm wrestle match. "We won! High-five, Kuru-nee!"

He watched as the two high-fived, "That didn't count! I sneezed!" Mairu stuck her tongue out at him, "It did too count, so we won!"

"You have to join now."

"Ugh, kill me now." Masaomi banged his head against the table, the humiliation of losing to them being too much to handle. "Okay!" Mairu happily cheered and he could hear the sound a flick blade being opened, "I wasn't serious!" He put his hands up in a surrender motion, waving them about to try and get her to stop.

"Aw, that's no fun. Give me your phone." Masaomi digged through his pockets for his phone and tossed it to her, suspicion in his eyes. She quickly typed something in and then handed it to Kururi who also quickly typed something in before tossing it back to Masaomi.

"Well, we should get going! Don't forget your end of the deal!" Mairu and Kururi got up and grabbed their bags; they began walking in the direction of their house, giving him a wave which he happily returned.

He heard his phone buzz indicating he had a text message and instantly flipped it open and read the message.

_"Don't worry; we'll definitely hang out again soon! Call or text us sometime, okay? – Mairu and Kururi."_

* * *

**The first two parts were okay, but the last part threw me off. I feel like it came out worse than the rest. It's pretty much nothing but dialogue, but meh. .-.**

**Hope you guys enjoyed! Don't forget to leave a review! As to those who reviewed last time and all those times before, thanks so much! I'm glad to hear that you guys are enjoying so far and would love to hear more feedback from you guys!**


	10. Chapter 10

**We get some more Alien King adventures in this chapter. XD Oh, and did anyone else think that Aoba's adorable level increased during the latest episode? Or was that just me?**

**As a heads up, italic means Celty's talking and bold means Masaomi's talking. During their text talk. Oh, and I have no idea if mute people make a sound when they laugh. Looked it up and it's said that they can, but it just sounds weird so...**

**Disclaimer: Everything mentioned in this story belongs to their rightful owners. **

* * *

Chapter 10

Shizu-chan takes an Interest?

Shutting the front door to Mikado's two-story house, he tossed his school bag onto the coffee table and collapsed onto the couch. His arms were folded behind his head like a pillow, while a huge grin was plastered on his face. "Man, that was super fun! I can't wait to hang out with them again sometime soon."

"You can't wait to hang out with whom again?"

Eyes flying open and widening in shock, Masaomi bolted upright and turned to face the guilty culprit who startled him. "M-Mikado?! What are you doing here? When'd ya get here?"

Leaning against the kitchen doorframe, Mikado looked at Masaomi unimpressed, amusement hidden in his eyes behind the annoyance. "I live here, remember?"

Masaomi scrunched up his face, "That's not what I meant and you know it. I thought you had some big fancy Student Council meeting you had to stay behind for."

Releasing a sigh, Mikado joined Masaomi on the couch. Sitting so that he was crisscross and facing the blonde. "I did, but no one showed up so it was cancelled. Everyone was too concerned over Izaya…" He muttered the last bit under his breath. Masaomi's ears caught it though and he frowned, "I should've known…"

"Masaomi—"

"I know what you want to say, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lashed out, but I did. I just hated how he was talking to Aoba and the rest. You know how I get when people are bullying my friends." Mikado nodded, having much experience with that. When they were younger and still went to school together, Mikado got bullied a lot and every single time, Masaomi would jump in and protect Mikado. Whether it was talking back or starting a fight, Masaomi didn't care, he just did it.

"Just… Just try and not do it again. I don't want you getting in any unnecessary trouble you know." Masaomi nodded his head in understanding. "I'll try."

They sat there in awkward silence for a few minutes, until Masaomi spoke up. "You got to admit, I was pretty badass there, wasn't I?" Masaomi grinned at Mikado who just rolled his eyes in response, "Whatever floats your boat and helps you sleep at night."

Somehow after their earlier conversation, they sat themselves down and started playing Mario Kart. Masaomi was Yoshi and Mikado was Luigi. "Damn it! I lost again! Stop using those blue shells! Hell, stop leaving fake boxes everywhere!"

"It's not my fault you're stupid enough to fall for those tricks."

"Mikado!"

"Stop whining—"

"I demand a rematch!"

Mikado let out a sigh and looked at Masaomi unimpressed, "This is the twentieth rematch already. You're just going to lose again." Masaomi shook his head, "I don't care! Let's do this! I swear I'll win this time!"

"Fine, if you say so. Come on, choose the track."

Masaomi looked through the different tracks and finally settled on Rainbow Road, the one he knew Mikado had a hard time on. "3!"

"2!"

"Start!"

They raced off, both way more determined than they really should be, not that they really cared. They were having fun and to them that was all that mattered. Mikado managed to be in the lead, with Masaomi very close in second place. The blonde made several shots at Mikado with his shells, but none of them hit home, much to his disappointment.

A huge loop with several turns came up and it just so happened to be before the finish line during their last lap, Masaomi grinned, knowing that this would be his chance to make it into first place. He increased his speed right when Mikado slowed down; he turned his car around, a very dangerous move, and shot Mikado with his last shell.

Mikado went spinning off the field, while Masaomi tried to quickly turn his car back around and speed off into first place. He managed to do just that and win the race for the first time during their twenty-something tracks. Throwing the control in the air, he jumped up shouting, "I won! Take that! Hah!" Masaomi did a little victory dance that had Mikado feeling second hand embarrassment.

Clapping his hands, Mikado rolled his eyes and sarcastically said, "Congratulations! You won one round out of the twenty-one that we did. What an accomplishment! I have to tell everyone I know about this!"

Masaomi fanned himself, "I know, amazing aren't I? Try not to be too impressed."

"Stop embarrassing yourself, Masaomi."

"Sorry, now let's do the next round!" He plopped himself back down and picked up the controller again, busying himself with picking their next track.

"Do we have to play _another _round?"

"Of course! I'm going to show you how amazing I am since you seem to be having hard time understanding." Masaomi picked their next track and hit start, not even bothering to check if Mikado was ready.

Soon enough, Masaomi lost. _Again_. "An amazing person named Kida Masaomi? Where? I only see an idiot named Kida Masaomi."

"Ha. Ha. Mikado, you're so funny."

"_I know, amazing aren't I? Try not to be too impressed." _He stuck his tongue out at Masaomi playfully, while Masaomi turned to him, jaw opened in shock.

"I demand a rematch."

"I thought you'd say that."

Groggily, Masaomi's eyes fluttered open to the sound of his alarm going off. Lazily, he extended his hand to reach for his phone and shut off the cursed sound. With the alarm off, he released a sigh and sat up, trying and failing miserably to suppress an exhausted yawn. "Ugh, I so shouldn't have gone to bed so late."

Without them even realizing it, they played Mario Kart until late at night. They were so engrossed in figuring out who'd win the most that they completely lost track of time. They only realized how late it had gotten when Masaomi paused their gaming, complaining he had to use the restroom _bad_, even going as far as saying that the only reason he was losing was because he couldn't contain his urine.

Standing up from his bed, Masaomi went to his drawers to grab his outfit for the day before heading into his personal bathroom to shower away any and all sweat that formed during the night and yesterday's intense gaming. With his clothes shed, he hopped into the shower and put the temperature to a rather cold one. Needing it to be freezing to wake him up. "Today is barely Tuesday. Three more days to go…"

The events that transpired the day before came rushing back like a bad headache, "Oh shit, forgot about that. Today is gonna be hell. Especially since the news of what happened yesterday spread so damn quickly. Stupid Izaya…"

"Instead of cursing Izaya, you should shower quickly."

Jumping from being startled, Masaomi almost slipped on the water, but was lucky enough to catch himself before he hit the ground with a sickening crack. "M-Mikado! Stop scaring me like that! I could've died!"

He could just imagine Mikado rolling his eyes right now, "Sorry, I had to make sure you were awake and not sleeping in there." _Sorry my ass._

"Psh, as if I would—"

"Remember that one time in third grade? You told the teacher that you had to use the restroom as soon as we arrived at school and didn't come back until after lunch break. Why was that again? Oh, right. It was because you—"

"Okay enough! I get it! I _would_ fall asleep in the restroom, but hey! You can't blame me! I was exhausted! I woke up super early that day." Masaomi pouted, cheeks slightly pink in embarrassment from the memory. It wasn't his fault he fell asleep while on the toilet that day, sleep was calling his name and how could he say no to a lady? A pretty lady that made him feel good at that.

Laughing, Mikado shook his head. "Fine, whatever you say. Well, I'll be downstairs. Hurry up, okay?" With that, Mikado lifted himself off the restroom door where he had been leaning and walked downstairs, leaving the blonde to himself.

"Stupid Mikado… Scaring and embarrassing me like that…" Letting out a chuckle, Masaomi continued his shower. About another fifteen minutes later, he was finished showering and was all set for his second day of hell.

Masaomi tiptoed downstairs, grabbing the flyswatter that hung outside the kitchen door before entering the room. Mikado was seated at the dining table, eating his breakfast much like the morning before. Grinning, Masaomi ran over and swatted Mikado with the flyswatter. "Today shall be the day I get rid of you once and for all, you damn Alien King!"

Swiftly and quickly, Mikado used his spoon to stab Masaomi in the gut. "Foolish human, how many times must I tell you that you have no chance of defeating me? Especially with some lowly weapon like yours."

Dramatically, Masaomi fell to the ground while Mikado simply continued his breakfast. "…Damn foul creature…."

A few minutes of silence passed before the two burst into a fit of laughter, "Really, Masaomi? A _flyswatter_?" Mikado looked at the blonde skeptically, while Masaomi just laughed more. "If I go down, I go down in style!"

Rolling his eyes, Mikado gently kicked him in the shin. "Go and eat your breakfast, idiot."

"I'm going, I'm going."

They ate their breakfast in comfortable silence for a couple of minutes, that was until Masaomi thought it'd be fun to attack the _Alien King_ again. "Die!" He shouted while flicking a piece of his cereal at Mikado who didn't even have to move an inch since the blonde failed miserably at aiming. "How do you expect to kill me if you can't even aim properly? _This_ is how it's done."

Mikado flicked a piece of his cereal at Masaomi, hitting the blonde square in the face, "Ah! That's no fair, Mikado!"

Grinning in satisfaction, Mikado shrugged, "All is fair in love and war, my friend—I mean, humble servant."

Pouting, Masaomi cleaned up his face and continued his meal without making any more surprise attacks, much to Mikado's relief.

Checking the time on his phone, Mikado stood up and placed his empty bowl in the sink. "Come on, let's go. Don't wanna be late on your second day of hell, now do you?" Shaking his head, Masaomi did the same as Mikado before heading to the living room to grab his bag.

Once the house was locked and the two boys were in the front lawn, Masaomi grinned and turned to Mikado. "Last one to the school has to do the others laundry for a week!" As soon as the last word left his mouth, Masaomi made a mad dash for it, leaving Mikado stunned in his spot.

"M-Masaomi!"

As soon as Masaomi arrived at the school like arranged, he leaned against the school gate for support while he tried to catch his breath. He collapsed onto the ground when Mikado came up and pushed him, panting even more than Masaomi was. "No fair! You got a head start!"

Hopping back onto his two feet, Masaomi smirked at the panting red-faced Mikado, "_All is fair in love and war, my friend." _He quoted Mikado's earlier words, leaving the male completely dumbstruck. He threw his hands up in the air due to frustration as soon as he got over his shock, all while pouting. "Fine! I'll do your stupid laundry."

"Aw, thanks Mikado. Knew I could count on you—"

"Good morning, Ryugamine-kun." The two best friends turned around to face the newcomer who Masaomi found to be a rather pretty big-breasted female with glasses and what looked to be a shy smile, which only succeeded in making her look cuter. According to Masaomi's observation, he wasn't the only one to think she was pretty, considering how Mikado turned an even darker shade of red than he already was. "Ah, g-good m-morning, Sonohara-san."

Grinning, Masaomi practically jumped at the chance to embarrass Mikado who obviously had a crush on the female, who in return also appeared to have similar feelings. Bowing down onto one knee, he grabbed her delicate hand with his and placed a kiss on it. "My name is Kida Masaomi, and you are? Or may I just call you mine—"

When Masaomi started using that horrible pick-up line, Mikado smacked him upside the head. "Masaomi! Don't be rude!"

"Ow, Mikado! That hurts, you know? And I wasn't being rude! I was just asking her for her name!"

"Well, do it like a normal person!"

At the sight of them bickering with each other, the girl laughed, but turned red when they both looked at her. "I-I'm Sonohara Anri, it's nice to meet you, Kida-kun." She gave him a shy smile, cheeks dusted pink from the earlier fiasco.

Turning his full undivided attention back to Anri, he gave her his biggest grin. "Likewise! So, tell me. How do you know my pal Mikado here?" He raised a curious brow as the three of them started their walk inside.

"O-Oh, Ryugamine-kun and I met through the Student Council. We have a few similar classes as well." Masaomi nodded attentively, rubbing his imaginary beard in thought. "I see, I see."

"What about you two?"

"Hm? Oh, Mikado and I go waaay back. We're childhood best friends!" Anri smiled kindly and nodded her head in understanding.

Throwing his arm around Mikado's neck, Masaomi dragged him into a choke hold. "Mikado, why didn't you tell me about your girlfriend?" Mikado and Anri both went red in embarrassment, "W-What? No! Anri and I are j-just friends—"

Releasing Mikado, Masaomi hopped over to Anri and grabbed her hand. "Dump the loser and go out with me!" Anri went an even darker shade of red and from the corner of his eye; he could see Mikado do the same. "I—"

"Ah, wait! Don't say anything just yet! I gave out the same offer to seven other girls and am still trying to figure out who I want to go out with the most! Oh, and just between us, you're at the top of my list so far."

"Masaomi!"

Masaomi twirled away from Anri dramatically, "That's my name, remember it won't you?" He winked at Anri and then turned back around and continued walking, laughing to himself. "Anri, don't listen to what that idiot says."

"I can hear you, Mikado." Anri just laughed at them again, finding the whole situation hilarious. Mikado jumped onto Masaomi's back, emitting another laugh from Anri and a startled yelp from Masaomi. "Ah! Mikado you're heavy!"

"Shut up!" Mikado gave Masaomi a noogie, causing Masaomi to laugh. "Okay, okay. I surrender!" Mikado jumped off Masaomi with an annoyed huff, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"I think you broke my back, Mikado…"

"Shut up before I break your back for real this time."

"Yeah, yeah…"

Leaning against a tree in the school yard, watching the trio was two males older than the three. One was a rather tall blonde male wearing sunglasses and strangely enough dressed in a bartender getup, though as to why, not many knew. The other was a shoulder-length dark haired brunette who also happened to be the blonde's younger brother.

"So, that's the kid who managed to make that bastard Izaya fall to his feet, huh?"

"Yes, he attempted to punch Izaya, but he dodged. Although, the suddenness of the punch caught Izaya off guard, henceforth causing him to stumble to the ground. "

The blonde clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Damn it, I wish I was there to see that. I regret being absent yesterday now. How come I've never seen the kid before?"

"From what I've heard and seen, he barely started here yesterday. Not to mention you don't normally pay attention to other students."

"…True. Anyways, what's his name again?"

"Kida Masaomi, if I remember correctly."

"I need to meet this, _Kida Masaomi if I remember correctly."_

Blinking in shock, the younger of the two shook their heads. "No, his name is just, Kida Masaomi."

Grinning, the blonde laughed. "Yeah, I know. I was just teasin' ya, Kasuka."

"Please don't."

Stepping away from the tree, the blonde stretched and let out a sigh when his back popped. "I'll have to see you later, alright?" Nodding his head, he frowned. "Don't do anything stupid."

Picking up the tree, he grinned. "Don't worry, I won't." The blonde threw the tree towards the entrance and went off running, "IIIZZZZAAAAYYYYAAA!"

Soon enough, the bell that signaled that everyone had three minutes to get to their first class rang and the trio had to part ways. Well, Anri and Mikado didn't since they had first period together, but Masaomi did. With his hands in his pockets, he wondered how his first class was going to go, considering how Izaya was in this class and that they sat beside each other.

He made it to the class and gave a nod of greeting to Celty, who gave a small wave in response. Making his way to his assigned seat, he plopped himself down with a sigh. Glancing to the side, he was relieved to see that Izaya wasn't there yet. _So far so good._

As normal, all good things must come to an end. Right at that moment, Izaya came running in with another taller blonde that Masaomi didn't recognize, holding what appeared to be a locker and trying to throw it at the raven-haired male. "IIIZZZZAAAAAYYYYYAAAA!"

Celty dropped her piece of chalk and ran over to the two and tried to calm the angry blonde. "Celty, outta my way. I'm gonna get rid of this bastard once and for all."

"Now, now, Shizu-chan. Calm down. You don't want to stress Celty now, do you?"

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?! My name is Heiwajima Shizuo! Not Shizu-chan!"

Masaomi could recall hearing the name 'Shizu-chan' the day before and found himself liking the guy, believe it or not. He watched with interest, silently hoping Shizuo did hit Izaya.

"So feisty. Uh-oh." Izaya jumped onto a random student's desk, avoiding the locker that had just been thrown at him. Shizuo didn't stop there, oh no. He ran to Celty's desk and threw everything off before picking it up and getting ready to throw it at Izaya, much like he did the locker. The students near Izaya immediately stood up and rushed to safety.

Shizuo threw the desk, but once again Izaya dodged and jumped from where he was all the way to the back, behind Masaomi, using the blonde as a shield. "Come on, Shizu-chan. Relax. Look at the mess you're making."

Much to his dislike, Masaomi was impressed at how well Izaya dodged everything that Shizuo threw at him, but he was also pissed at how Izaya decided to use him as a shield right now. "H-Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Izaaaayaaaa! You're so pathetic, using someone else as a shield! That still won't stop me!" Shizuo lifted one of the student desks and was ready to haul it at Izaya. At the sight, Masaomi's blood ran cold, but was shocked to see when Shizuo stopped mid-throw. "Oh, it's you. Mind getting out of my way?"

"I would if I wasn't being held down right now. I'm not stupid enough to stay here willingly and meet my doom." Shizuo blinked and then nodded, "True. Oi, Izaya. Let him go so I can pummel you!"

Izaya rolled his eyes, "You don't think I would willingly do that when he appears to save me from your wrath, now do you? Why does he make you stop I wonder." Shizuo growled, literally growled at the parka wearing idiot.

Celty took this time to walk over and try and calm Shizuo down again, "Come on, Shizuo. Is getting in trouble over him really worth it?" When Shizuo just glanced at her message, she went over to Izaya and tried to stop him. "Izaya! Knock it off! Come on."

"I'm all calm; it's him who is all riled up. I did nothing wrong. As soon as I stepped foot on campus I got a tree thrown at me by none other than Shizu-chan. " Celty hung her head in defeat, she ran over to Kasuka who was seated towards the corner of the room. "Calm your brother down! Please!"

Sighing, Kasuka stood up and walked over to his angry brother. "Shizuo, knock it off. Will this really help you later on? Look at his face."

No one understood what Kasuka was talking about, not even Izaya which pissed him off. It took Shizuo a minute or two to understand what Kasuka meant, when he did, he looked at Masaomi's face. His face was full of fear and nervousness. Heaving out a sigh, Shizuo tossed the desk to some random corner and walked away towards his desk.

"Brother complex, huh? Oof—what was that for?" Everyone, especially Shizuo, immediately turned their heads to see Izaya massaging his abdomen, annoyance written on his face, all of it directed towards Masaomi. "Don't temp him. Trust me; I'll even help him get rid of you."

Izaya took his seat beside the young blonde, "Oh? That so—"

"What the fucking hell?!" Everyone turned their heads to look at Shizuo who looked beyond confused. "How was he able to fucking elbow you when I can't even land a hand on you?!"

"It just means he's more capable than yo— Wow there. Nice try." Izaya dodged a smack meant for his face with ease. "Maybe you should take lessons from him, Shizu-chan."

Shizuo stared daggers into the younger blonde who nervously sat there, when Shizuo adverted his gaze, the blonde let out a sigh of relief and settled for staring daggers at the raven-haired male, especially when Izaya took it in himself to wrap an arm around his neck. "Ah, thank you for that, Kida-kun."

Shoving him away, Masaomi looked at him in disgust. "Get away from me. It's not like I wanted to help you. I'd rather see you dead to be perfectly honest."

"Still angry at me, I take it?" Izaya moved away from Masaomi and leaned against his desk instead.

"What do you think? Of course I'm pissed at you. Now, if you understand that, stay away." Masaomi turned away from the raven-haired male and stared straight at the board, annoyed frown on his face.

Celty stared from the three boys with worry, just expecting them to go at it again. When they didn't, she wrote on her board. "Alright, let's start class."

During the whole lesson, Masaomi could feel both Izaya _and _Shizuo staring daggers at him. To say it made him uncomfortable was an understatement. He had no idea what they wanted with him. Well, Izaya was more understandable, but Shizuo, now that was where he was confused. He was still confused as to why Shizuo stopped mid-attack when he saw him. From what he overheard the other students talking about, Shizuo stopped for no one.

While they filled out some random worksheet about whatever it was they were currently learning, Masaomi's phone buzzed with a message from Celty. "_Everything okay over there? You look tense._"

"**Well, both Izaya and Shizuo are staring daggers at me. Even as we speak." **

_"I hope they aren't planning something, especially Izaya. Which reminds me, I heard you two got into a bit of trouble yesterday. Mind telling me what exactly happened?"_

**"Ah, you heard too? Dang, information related to Izaya spreads fast. Anyways, he was insulting a friend of mine and I didn't like it, so I sorta snapped." **

_"Izaya is rather popular here so it makes sense. Yeah, that's what I heard. Your friend was Kuronuma Aoba, right?"_

**"Unfortunately he's popular. You should've seen all of his followers. Oh, and yeah. It was Aoba." **

_"Trust me, I know. You should've seen the tons of his fans that came to me in anger because they thought I was dating him. How they got that assumption, I don't even want to know." _

**"Ew, who would want to date that bastard?"**

Celty laughed out loud, though since she was mute it sounded a bit strange. It caught everyone's attention, causing her to turn red in embarrassment and shoo them back to work. A small grin made its way onto Masaomi's face.

_"You have a point there. Anyways, what I really meant to ask you besides if you're alright is if you want me to move you seats? I'm sure sitting right next to Izaya may be awkward, especially since you two just had that big argument and all." _

Masaomi thought about that, even doing so much as glancing at Izaya which Izaya saw and simply raised a brow too, **"Actually, I think I'm fine here. I don't mind it. I don't want to trouble you after all. It seems as though you have enough to take care of right now."**

_"Well, if you ever change your mind, let me know. I'll move you immediately. Now, I'll let you get back to work, but before I do I just wanted to let you know that if you ever want someone to talk to, I'm here willing to lend an ear. Just call me." _

_"Actually text me. If you call me, you won't get very far."_

Masaomi let out a small chuckle, **"Alright, I appreciate the offer and will keep it in mind. Now, try not to miss me too much~!" **

He looked up to see Celty rolling her eyes and setting her phone aside, moving to work on her computer. He snickered and moved to continue working on his class work, feeling so much better than he did before. Although, the constant watch from Shizuo and Izaya still set him on edge. 

Masaomi and Celty were communicating, Izaya knew it and how he longed to know what about. At first, Izaya thought Masaomi was texting some random friend of his, possibly Mikado or Aoba, but when he heard Celty laugh and saw Masaomi grin he knew that wasn't the case. Izaya was perfectly ready to snatch Masaomi's phone away and read what they were talking about, but refrained himself. For several reasons, but the main one being him not wanting to upset Masaomi more than he already has. As to why, it's because he needed to get the blonde back on his side.

He knew they were talking about him when Masaomi glanced at him for what seemed to be the first time in ages. This new information only spiked his interest even more. He wanted to know what exactly they were saying about him. Was it bad? Was it good? How he longed to know.

He stared at Masaomi some more and tried to place the puzzle together. For one, he knew that Masaomi was talking with Celty and that it was about him. The rest he didn't know and what he currently had wasn't enough information. He stared intently at Masaomi's face, trying to decipher his expression changes, but since he couldn't really get a good look at his eyes, it was difficult. After all, the eyes were a big part of being able to read expressions.

At a certain point he noticed Masaomi's facial expression change to one of annoyance which could've hinted too many things. Using the current information he had to narrow it down, he tried to figure out what exactly it was that brought Masaomi annoyance. It had to involve him for one so that narrowed it down to either their fight yesterday or the earlier events. It could be either one, hell it could even be both.

This helped only a little bit, all he knew was the following: Talking with Celty about him and their conversation involved either yesterday's fight or the one earlier today.

He needed more information to be certain, but for now, he would go with that. It settled his curiosity for now. Since he was sure he was pretty on point.

His eyes trailed over to Shizuo, who also happened to be staring at the blonde. This helped reignite Izaya's interest. He was also curious as to why Shizuo stopped mid-attack earlier and what it was exactly that Kasuka meant.

Recalling Kasuka's words, he tried to figure it out. _"Shizuo, knock it off. Will this really help you later on? Look at his face."_

Look at who's face? Certainly couldn't be Izaya's. Shizuo could care less what Izaya's face looked like, hell looking at his face would probably just make Shizuo want to kill him more. That meant it had to be look at Masaomi's face. He suspected as much as even made himself look at Masaomi's face as well. He remembered seeing fear and nervousness. But what did that have to do with anything? There must be some hidden meaning.

Kasuka had said, "_Will this really help you later on?"  
_

Which proves nothing except that Shizuo has a plan, for once. Thinking back to what else Kasuka said, it must involve Masaomi. So, a plan that involved Masaomi. Now all that's left is to figure out what exactly this plan is.

Let's analyze all of Shizuo's actions, starting from when he first noticed Masaomi. He stopped in his tracks, looking shocked. He had told Masaomi to get out of the way, even demanded that Izaya let go of Masaomi. Must mean Shizuo doesn't want to hurt the blonde and wants to win over his trust. What other details popped up? Ah, the fact that Shizuo looked amazed and confused as to how Masaomi was able to elbow Izaya in the gut when he couldn't lay a single hand on the raven haired male.

The puzzle pieces started coming together and that's when it clicked. Shizuo is planning to use Masaomi as a way to get rid of Izaya.

Izaya clicked his tongue in annoyance and glared at the oldest Heiwajima male. He certainly wouldn't allow Shizuo to win over Masaomi. Never in a million years.

_Nice try, Shizu-chan. It was a pretty good idea, but too bad for you that I won't allow it. _

Shizuo could feel when Izaya glared at him and oh, how it pissed him off. He counted backwards, starting at a thousand in order to keep his temper in check. It would work for now, but not for long. He was dying to go on over to Izaya and smack him around for glaring at him. Not that he has a problem with people staring at him, sure it bothers him, but when it's Izaya staring at him. It's another story entirely. He just itches to punch the raven haired male in the face and end his life for good. Make everyone's lives easier.

993…

992…

991…

990…

He had to remember what Kasuka told him though, keep his temper in check in order to win Masaomi over. He needed the blonde on his side, it would help get rid of Izaya and they needed that.

983…

982…

981…

980…

His hands twitched and he could feel every muscle in his body screaming Izaya's name in pure blood lust, but he continued to keep his temper in check.

973…

972…

971…

970…

The counting definitely wasn't working; all he knew was that he needed to get out of the room. Another second with Izaya will do more harm than good. He couldn't just barge out though, could he?

963…

962…

961…

960…

Rising to his feet, he stomped over to Celty's now upright desk, slamming his hand down onto the wood, causing her to jump and hastily write. "W-What is it?"

953…

952…

951…

950…

"I. Need. To. Use. The. Restroom. Be. Back. Later." He seethed, every one of his words filled with rage. Celty nodded her head and once again hastily wrote. "Take your time. Just try not to destroy anything."

943…

942…

941…

940…

"Got it." With that, Shizuo ran outside and down the hallway, not under his control he roared out one name, and one name only. "IZZZZAAAAYYYYAAAA!" Grabbing the nearest locker to him, he started going on a rampage, throwing lockers everywhere. Papers and books were scattered everywhere, not that Shizuo cared. He stomped off to the restroom and shut himself in one of the stalls. "Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill."

Back in the room, Celty shook her head, able to hear all the noise, clear as day. Everyone in the room turned to look at Izaya who just laughed, smiling innocently.

_Why is my job so hard?_

**We had a bit of everyone's point of view. Sort of. Hope it wasn't too bad. **

**Review and let me know! **


	11. Chapter 11 - Better or Worse?

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I really enjoy reading what you guys think! I tried to answer some of your questions in the story. Though, if you still have questions or need clarification on certain parts, let me know! I'm happy to help!**

**{Important Clarification!}**

**There have been quite a few of you messaging me, asking for clarification on the ages everyone is. I thought I made an AN explaining that to everyone, but I could've forgotten. Basically, everyone is the same age as in the anime except for a few people. Some major noticeable changes are that Aoba is one year older than he really is in the anime as well as his friends - actually not really sure how old all of them are, let's just say they're around his age and in high school with him -. Izaya, Shizuo, Namie, Erika, Walker, and a few others were dropped down to 18 or lower so that they could be involved in this story too without too much awkwardness. **

**Also, I know someone was asking about how or why the classes were all mixed up. I made it so that all the classes are mixed up, it doesn't matter what grade you're in. You get placed in certain classes according to how well you're doing in a certain subject. I would say Kadota - the principal - made it that way so that students could practice getting along with people who are much older or younger than them. Better interactions that way. **

* * *

Chapter 11

Better or Worse?

Soon after Shizuo had left the classroom in favor of obliterating the hallway while shouting the infamous Izaya's name at the top of his lungs in pure rage, first period had come to an end. However, much to Celty's demise, not much was completed. It was to be expected though, considering how exactly first period had begun as well as all the unnecessary distractions in between. Although, much to her relief, during Shizuo's little episodes, not one person was harmed in any way. Izaya might have been, but she could really careless.

Not wanting to be late for his next class, Masaomi made his way to the exit, giving Celty a small wave before departure, which she happily returned. Much to Masaomi's annoyance, Izaya found it in himself to follow right behind the blonde, just a few feet away. Before Izaya could actually exit the classroom though, Celty was in front of him, hands on her hips, looking uncertain and mighty annoyed. "Izaya, be nice to Masaomi, it's only his second day here at Raira and you're already causing him unnecessary problems."

"Causing him unnecessary problems? Now, what do you mean by that? I'm just helping him grow accustomed to life here at Raira. You know how dangerous it can be. I'm slowly building him up to be prepared for the dangers here." Izaya grinned at Celty, faking the innocent act. "Now, if you do excuse me, I'd better get going now. I don't want to be late for my next period now, do I?"

Izaya walked past Celty, ridiculous grin plastered on his face, much to Celty's annoyance. Shaking her head, she only hoped that whatever Izaya did, Masaomi wouldn't get too affected. She knew just how fucked up Izaya could be and the terrible after affect he had on people he took an interest in making their lives miserable.

Sighing to herself, she erased the message she had written on her PDA to show Izaya and made a new message to send Kadota. The message wasn't much; it was just her telling him about what Shizuo had destroyed this time. The tree in the courtyard, several desks in her classroom, and who knows what else outside in the hall. She was too afraid to go look at what mess he had created this time.

In normal circumstances, you'd think Shizuo would be expelled for destroying school property constantly, but he wasn't. Kadota, the principal, had grown accustomed to Shizuo's absurd strength and the constant mess he would make. Kadota knew that suspending or expelling Shizuo from school would do nothing whatsoever to stop the problem, so he made the decision to _not_ do that. Instead, he'd lecture Shizuo and make the aggressive blonde help fix whatever it was he destroyed.

Shizuo would help without complaint; he'd make little angry mumbles here and there, but complied with whatever it was Kadota had asked of him. Shizuo did feel guilty about making the janitors and other staff members of Raira clean up his mess after all.

Besides, it wasn't Shizuo's fault that he had super inhuman strength that he had trouble controlling. He could control it rather well, but when he got pissed… Now that was another story. It didn't really help that he had a small temper. Oh, and it didn't help that a certain flea made it his life goal to piss him off.

Even if Kadota understood Shizuo's problem, it didn't mean that the problematic blonde would get away scot-free. Sometimes he would, but most of the time he didn't. Kadota would have to give him lunch detentions or even after school detentions for the ruckus he made. It wouldn't be fair otherwise. Just between you and me, Kadota really didn't want to have to deal with angry teenagers. It wouldn't do his health any good either, it was too much stress. From the times he had to deal with them, he had gotten several white hairs from the uncontrollable amount of stress.

Back in Kadota's office, he read the text message that Celty had sent him and couldn't help but emit a sigh. Just earlier on in the day, he had scolded Shizuo for the mess he had made last week, but here he was. Making even more mess that Kadota would have to pay for.

Rising from his seat, Kadota started making his way from his small office to where Shizuo was most likely still rampaging. He found his good friend Saburo already there and trying to calm the scared students down. Surprising, isn't it? You would expect that the students of Raira would be used to this, considering how common of an occurrence it is. Guess there are just somethings you can never grow used to.

"Ah, Dota-chin! You're finally here. Great, I was starting to think you'd never come. " Saburo made his way over to where Kadota stood, examining the size of the mess Shizuo had caused. "I'm guessing his rampage was caused by Izaya. Is that right, Celty?"

Celty leaned against her doorframe, nodding her head. "Yup, pretty much. You know how _splendidly well_ they get along."

"And Shizuo? Where'd he go?"

Celty jabbed her thumb behind her inside her classroom, and used her other hand to show Kadota her message. "I managed to calm him down, with Kasuka's help of course. We brought him inside, away from everyone else. I was afraid he might get pissed again otherwise."

Kadota nodded his head, before turning his attention back to the hallway. Lockers were thrown in every which direction, school posters were ripped off the wall and laying around, the glass case where all of Raira's trophies were stored was broken into several tiny pieces, one of the overhead lights was flickering on and off. The hallway looked like something out of those zombie movies you'd see on TV all the time.

Saburo patted him on the back, "It's moments like these when you wish Shizuo-Insurance existed."

Kadota looked at him skeptically, a small smile forming on his lips, before nodding his head in agreement.

_If only Shizuo-Insurance was a real thing, my life would be so much more easier…_

Masaomi walked through the halls on his way to second period, shaking his head at the memory of what happened to the hallway after Shizuo was finished. He couldn't believe the amount of mess done in just a few minutes. Shizuo certainly was something else. What made Masaomi laugh was the fact that everything was done in rage ignited by Izaya.

Speaking of Izaya, the raven-haired male was being rather annoying with his constant following. He remained about two feet behind the blonde and it pissed him off. Yeah, they had the same next class together, but did Izaya really have to be so close? Couldn't he just take another route to class instead of following Masaomi's exact footsteps? Literally.

The door to Shinra's science class was just around the corner, much to the blonde's relief. He sped up his pace, which Izaya copied without an ounce of difficulty. Masaomi threw the door open and winced slightly when it hit the wall with a bang, catching everyone's attention.

Ignoring the curious stares he got, he gave Shinra an apologetic smile and made his way towards the back of the room, plopping himself down at an empty table. As expected, Izaya followed and seated himself down beside the blonde. Much like he had done the day before.

Masaomi didn't say or do anything; he just sat there in silence, sending very occasional glances Izaya's way.

The two of them didn't do anything, just sat there in silence since class hadn't started yet and not very many people were there yet. Soon, Neko entered the room and noticed the awkwardly sitting pair. Everyone knew that Neko was one of the many people who really disliked Izaya, but he was also good friends with Masaomi. With that last statement said, he made his way over to where Masaomi and Izaya sat, plopping himself down beside the blonde.

Masaomi widened his eyes in surprise and leaned in to whisper, "Neko, you don't have to sit here with me. I know how much you dislike Izaya…"

Shaking his head, Neko gave Masaomi one of his signature smiles. "It's fine, nya! If you can do it, then so can I! Plus, I don't feel comfortable leaving you alone with him…" _Who knows how Aoba will react…_

Masaomi didn't look convinced, but nodded in understanding nonetheless. "If you say so… But if you want to leave, don't let me stop you." Neko nodded to show he understood and even jokingly saluted the blonde, emitting a small chuckle from Masaomi.

"Hey Masaomi, mind if I sit with you?" Masaomi looked up to see Saki smiling at him in all her glory. Returning the smile, he shook his head and motioned for her to sit down, which she did happily. Masaomi, Neko, and Saki soon started going into small random conversations, all of them trying to make the mood not so gloomy and/or awkward, like it currently was.

Strangely enough, Izaya remained silent during the small conversations Masaomi had with Neko and Saki. It unsettled Masaomi, since Izaya didn't seem to be one who was this quiet. Masaomi had noticed that Izaya enjoyed jumping into his conversations, whether he was invited or not. Though, Masaomi only knew Izaya for about two days and a half. That's not much information to go off of.

Izaya must have noticed Masaomi staring at him for he made eye contact with the blonde. They just stared at each other quietly, trying to unravel each other's thoughts. Masaomi furrowed his brows in confusion, obviously failing at trying to figure out what the older male was thinking. Izaya was good at that and had experience, Masaomi presumed.

Though for Izaya, it seemed he was able to discern just what it was Masaomi was thinking without a problem. Grinning towards the blonde, he opened his mouth to start speaking, but immediately shut it when someone seated themselves beside him; without his permission. He heaved a sigh, before forcing a grin onto his face and turning around to communicate with said person. "Ah, Rio. What a pleasant surprise. What do you need, hm?"

"I thought I'd sit with you. We haven't sat together in ages." _And plus, not many people trust that new kid. Especially after what happened yesterday. So, we've decided to be near you at all times to make sure nothing like that happens. It's kind of troublesome though. We don't have to be around you at all times, since you're really strong. I'd personally rather be sitting with Non…_

"I…see. Well, that's fine I suppose. It doesn't bother you, does it, Kida-kun?" Izaya turned around to face the blonde who had been quietly observing. He chuckled a bit when Masaomi's eyes widened at being addressed for his opinion.

"H-huh? Oh, uh no? I'm fine with it." Masaomi awkwardly replied, embarrassed to be caught off guard. He really wasn't expecting Izaya to ask him, especially since their relationship is a bit iffy. Masaomi raised his brow when Izaya's smile fell at his response. _Was I supposed to say it bothered me?_

Turning back around to face Rio with another fake smile, he let out a humorous chuckle. "See, everything is fine."

Rio widened her eyes, not just because Izaya had spoken with Masaomi and Masaomi had replied calmly, like nothing had happened the day before, but because of what Izaya said. _See_, _everything is fine. _It was like he was saying she or anyone else didn't need to be there to monitor them, that everything was perfectly normal between them.

Rio smiled and nodded, "Yes, I see." _Dammit, I forgot how smart he is. I'll have to tell everyone to lie low then, or else he'll no doubt get pissed. Gee, I told them this would happen._

"Alright everyone, pat attention! Class is starting!" Shinra clapped his hands together, grin on his face. "Now, does everyone remember what I told you yesterday?" Everyone groaned, causing Shinra's grin to grow. "I see you do! Yes, we're dissecting today! Isn't that exciting?"

"I see you still love that sick hobby of yours, Shinra." Izaya mused, resting his cheek against his propped up fist. "Call me Mr. Kishitani! How many times must I tell you, Izaya?!"

"I'm just being respectful towards your age. Remember you said it makes you feel old?"

"Yes, but you're not allowed to talk to me so familiarly." Shinra stubbornly crossed his arms against his chest, causing Izaya to roll his eyes. "Aw, but how is that fair_, S-h-i-n-r-a_." Izaya drawled out the letters of Shinra's name, teasingly.

"Ugh, fine. Do whatever. Nothing I say will stop you anyways. Now, back on topic. We're going to be dissecting. There's plenty for everyone! Unfortunately, I was only able to get rats and frogs this time. Dota-chin wouldn't allow me to bring in anything else." Izaya snickered beside Masaomi, earning a glare from Shinra.

"Now then! Let's begin!"

Shinra ordered Izaya to help him pass out all the necessary materials, Izaya complained and argued a bit, but soon started to help out. Shinra came over to speak with Masaomi while Izaya continued to pass out, "Masaomi, have you ever dissected anything before?"

Masaomi shook his head no, "I see, that's unfortunate, but worry not! We'll have plenty of chances for you to dissect something here at Raira! I'll teach you too!" Shinra then went off into explaining how to dissect, even going as far as giving vivid detail and showing how to do it. Although, it went in one ear, but came right back out. Masaomi couldn't exactly process what it was Shinra was saying. He just stared blankly at the male; it was like a whole different language!

"So, do you understand?"

"Huh?"

Izaya who had finished passing out by now burst into a fit of laughter, "Shinra! You have to explain in more simple terms! Kida-kun can't keep up otherwise. His brain hasn't evolved that far yet."

"Shut up, you bastard!" Turning red in embarrassment, Masaomi turned around and tried to punch Izaya in the face. Izaya, being Izaya, dodged it by leaning back, causing the blonde to fall into his lap with an 'oof'. "My, my. I knew I was irresistible, but I didn't imagine that _you'd_ jump into _my_ lap so _willingly_."

If possible, Masaomi went an even darker lovely shade of red and bolted up. "What the hell?! Ew, no! You're disgusting! Who'd want to jump into your lap?!"

"You, apparently."

Masaomi made a disgusted noise at the back of his throat, scooting his chair closer to the laughing Neko. It didn't do much for Izaya just scooted closer, "Come on, admit it. You've fallen for my charm. That's why you enjoyed sharing a—"

Masaomi covered Izaya's mouth with his hand, "S-Shut up about that, won't you? I told you, I didn't do that willingly. You forced me!"

Everyone at the table's eyes widened, they had no idea what the two of them were talking about, but it didn't sound like something two friends did. "Ahem, Izaya, Masaomi, if I could have your attention back—"

"There you go again. Denying what is obviously the truth." Izaya shook his head in disbelief, completely ignoring Shinra's sad attempt to get them back on topic. "I can't believe you, Kida-kun—"

Izaya immediately shut up when frog intestines were thrown in his face leaving his face full of blood by the red faced – was he red from anger or embarrassment? Probably both. – blonde. Funny how their faces matched now. At the sight of frog intestines being thrown in Izaya's face and sliding down to the ground, everyone gasped in shock and went silent. Everyone was terrified, but curious as to how their king would react.

"…Kida-kun. That wasn't very nice now, was it?" Izaya glared at the smug looking blonde, who gave a careless shrug. "You weren't being very nice either, were you?"

"What are you talking about? I was merely stating the truth."

"The truth my ass."

Masaomi grabbed a nearby napkin to wipe away the blood on his hand, disgust evident on his face. Izaya had remained quiet after Masaomi spoke, making Masaomi believe he had won this discussion. He turned around to face Izaya again, smug grin present. "Not so—"

Rat lungs were thrown in his own face this time, making his eyes widen in shock. "Hey!"

"I just returned the favor." Izaya turned around, crossing his arms with an annoyed hmph.

"Why you—"

Masaomi grabbed the frog's heart and shoved it down Izaya's shirt, causing the eighteen year old to open his eyes in surprise and jump up. He reached behind him and pulled the heart out from his shirt. "Aw, Kida-kun. You do love me. Even going as far as to give me your heart. You see, I love you so much that I must return your heart!" Izaya then threw the heart in Masaomi's face, resulting in a yelp from the blonde.

Masaomi wiped away all the blood and… you know, off his face before glaring at the parka wearing idiot. "You're on!" He grabbed more body parts and started throwing them at Izaya, while Izaya did the same. It was just like a food fight, except this time with organs – and organ fight.

Organs of frogs and rats were flying _everywhere_; they even started hitting other students by accident. Shinra was panicking, "Hey, Masaomi, Izaya. I think that's enough—" Shinra was silenced when a rat's organs were thrown in his face, some of it even went in his mouth much to his demise. "Masaomi. Izaya. Would you two do me the favor of standing still so I can shove organs down your throats?"

Izaya and Masaomi looked at each other before running around in different directions, both uttering the same two words that may just be their last words.

"Oh shit."

By the time the bell rang, everyone was covered in guts, mainly Izaya and Masaomi, since they were the start of the fight. One small fight between two people, turned into three, and then soon turned into about thirty different people fighting. Izaya and Masaomi had managed to start a big organ fight. It made them super dirty, but hey. It was much more fun than doing what Shinra had originally assigned them to do. Bet you Shinra would say he had fun too.

"Everyone, you may leave. Izaya, Masaomi. I'd like you two to stay back for a few extra minutes, if you'd be so kind."

Everyone except Masaomi and Izaya left, as instructed. They stood before Shinra who was leaning against his desk, expression unreadable. They just stood there, awaiting for the oldest of the three to make a sound. Soon, he just heaved out a sigh. "Listen you two, I'm not sure what's going on between you two, but this has to stop. Look at the mess you made! I love you both like little brothers and I'll admit it was fun, but I'm going to have to give you detention. Stay after school today and come to my classroom. You two are going to stay back and clean this entire mess up, understand?"

They both nodded their head in understanding, mumbling a quiet, "Sorry." Shinra in the meantime wrote them both after school detentions as well as late passes, handing it to them and shooing them off. "You two should go and see Kadota about your clothes. I'm sure he'll let you use the washer and dryer that we have here. I'll call him too and let him know that you're on your way."

They nodded and both started to make their way to Kadota's office, not saying a word to each other. Shinra must have already called and told Kadota about what happened because on the speaker, an announcement was made. "Can you believe what they did?! Hah! Wish I was there to see it! Better yet get in on the fun! Man, that new kid and Izaya are hilarious!" Saburo voice and his laughter boomed out of the speakers.

"Saburo, we're on air." Kadota reminded the laughing brunette, annoyance clear in his voice.

"Oh shit—Seriously?! Ah, crap we are! Sorry Dota-chin!"

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?! Do it again and I'll scratch your van, watch!"

Saburo made what he believed to be a manly squeak and cleared his throat, "Ahem! Anyways, teachers and students, forgive the interruption. Any and all students heading to Science period taught by Shinra Kishitani are to head to the Science Club Room instead of his actual classroom. There has been a…Pfff, bahahaha!"

Saburo couldn't even finish his sentence for the laughter took over him again. Kadota must have smacked him upside the head because he yelped in pain. "You idiot… If you have science period with Shinra Kishitani, head to the Science Club room today. A certain incident has occurred there; therefore the room won't be usable until tomorrow. Hopefully. Sorry for the interruption and Saburo's idiocy, you make continue with your lessons."

"Come on, Dota-chin. You can't tell me what they did wasn't funny! I heard it went in Shinra's mouth too—"

The intercom turned off right there, causing Masaomi and Izaya to snicker, finding it all amusing. To other students who weren't there to see what happened probably—okay, definitely were confused.

Izaya and Masaomi had finally made it to the office and were immediately greeted by an annoyed looking Kadota and amused Saburo. When Saburo saw them covered in guts, he burst into another fit of laughter, causing Kadota to hit him upside the head again, muttering about how he was an idiot.

He looked back at Masaomi and Izaya, frustration evident on his face. Masaomi felt guilty for causing so much trouble and only on his second day too. He averted his gaze to the floor sheepishly. Kadota sighed and motioned for them to follow him, "Come on. Let's go."

Kadota led them to the boy's locker room, unlocking the closet inside where all the jerseys were held. "You two are going to have to wear jerseys while your clothes wash. Grab your size and head to the showers."

They complied with what Kadota told them to do silently, not wanting to piss of the male anymore than they already have. They hopped into separate showers, a good decent length away from each other. "Hand me your dirty clothes and I'll go ahead and throw them in the wash."

With both of their dirty clothes in hand, he walked back into the closet and started up the wash. He tossed their clothes in and put it to the quick wash setting before heading back to the locker room to keep an eye on the two boys, afraid that they might start another fight.

They showered and clothed themselves in silence, before sitting down on one of the benches inside the locker room, Kadota right next to them. "Mind telling me what exactly started the fight?"

Masaomi and Izaya glanced at each other, before looking away and shrugging. Kadota let out another sigh, "You guys, I'm being serious here. You're lucky you're only being let off with an after school detention. It could be much worse. Now, if one of you two doesn't explain what happened, I'm going to get angry and your punishment will get worse."

Masaomi didn't want to get anything worse than an after school detention so he started to explain what happened, "Izaya and I started arguing again and well, it escalated from just arguing to actually throwing fists and organs at each other…"

Kadota shook his head, and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "What exactly did you two argue about? Actually, you know what? I don't even want to know. Izaya, how many times have I told you to stop picking fights with other students?"

Izaya gave a careless shrug, "It's not my fault people take things so seriously that it makes me want to annoy them even more."

"Listen Masaomi, you just have to get used to this idiot. He'll do anything he can to piss you off. It's what he does. If he bothers you again, try not to fight. Tell one of us teachers, alright? We'll try and get him away from you."

Masaomi nodded his head in understanding and scratched his cheek, "I'm sorry about creating such a mess…It won't happen again, I swear."

Kadota gave a sound of approval, "Good choice, though knowing Izaya for as long as I have. I doubt that'll work out so well. I'll go easy on you though, since it's your first time around someone like _him_."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. Anyways, at this rate, you two won't be able to make it to your next class. I'll call your teachers and let them know what happened. Masaomi you normally have who right now?"

"I have math period with Mr. Takashi Nasujima."

Nodding, Kadota typed what Masaomi and Izaya presumed was a text message to Saburo telling him to call these teachers. "Izaya, what about you?"

"Normally I'd be in my elective class right now and today is Tuesday so I have music with Tom. Not that I ever really attend his classes. There's no need for you to call. He knows I won't be coming. Besides, you did make that announcement and mention Kida-kun and my name. I'm sure he took a hint."

Kadota nodded, and then put his phone away. "Fair enough. Alright, well since we'll be here for awhile, go ahead and bring out your phones or whatever and do whatever it is kids your age do."

The two nodded and did just that for the rest of the hour. Kadota watched them and noticed how they avoided making eye contact for the most part and heaved out a sigh.

_When I die, I'll make sure they put on my gravestone: Death by stress levels raised too high. Mainly thanks to Izaya Orihara, the biggest bastard in the universe. _

**Oh my god, this chapter would probably have to be the worst ever! I didn't know what to write and I had to write quickly too if I wanted to get it up by today - the update day. I had so much to do today so I'm sorry about the crapiness. **

**Don't forget to leave a review! I'd appreciate if you do! Reviews boost my motivation to write. ;P**


	12. Chapter 12

**Okay, so last weeks episode - that I just watched today - had me raging because of Mikado, was anyone else feeling the same? Like, why Mikado, why? How could you do such a thing to Masaomi? Queue the gross sobbing. Thank God Masaomi had been expecting it though and was able to avoid more casualties. Bless his soul for being so smart. Can't wait until January though. That way we can see some more badass Masaomi, am I right? **

**Important announcement - I think. Since I'm currently on Fall Break, you should probably expect another update besides the weekly update. It really depends on how much muse I have to write and of course motivation - REVIEWS help boost motivation just in case you didn't know. I'm serious guys, whenever I read your reviews, it never ceases to bring a smile to my face. I enjoy your feedback! So keep 'em comin'!**

**Without further ado, enjoy today's chapter and don't forget to leave a review~!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing mentioned in this story belongs to me, all rights reserved to their original respective owners.**

* * *

Chapter 12

Friendly Competitions!

As originally expected, Izaya and Masaomi missed their third period completely. Their clothes didn't finish going through the washer or dryer until a few minutes after third period ended. They quickly slipped out of the jerseys they were forced to wear while their clothes were being cleaned and into their warm comfortable clothes. Oh, how they missed their clothes. They grabbed their bags and started moving towards the exit, not wanting to be in each other's presence for much longer. At least, that was the case for Masaomi. When it came to Izaya, you really had no idea.

"Izaya, Masaomi. Wait a minute."

They halted in their steps and turned to look at Kadota, both with raised eyebrows. "What is it, Dota-chin~?" Kadota clicked his tongue in annoyance at the nickname, sending a glare towards Izaya for uttering it with that smug face, obviously knowing how Kadota would react. "I really hate you for that nickname."

Izaya just chuckled in response, leaning against the wall with an amused expression. He motioned for Kadota to go on with what he originally planned to say.

"Right, anyways. I just wanted to let you two know that I hope I don't hear any more bad news about you two from any of the other teachers. Also, Izaya, I don't want to hear anything involving Shizuo about you. Though, I'm really not _that_ stupid to continue hoping for peace between you two. This is _you_ we're talking about after all."

Giving a childish pout, Izaya raised his hands into the air, giving his wrists a few flicks, as well as shrugging once. "It's not my fault Shizu-chan tries to kill me every time he sets his eyes on me."

Masaomi rolled his eyes, wondering if Izaya really was _that_ oblivious as to why it was that Shizuo tried to kill him all the damn time. Like Kadota had said, this is Izaya we're talking about. He probably knew and was just being…well, Izaya. There really is no other better way to explain it.

"Just try Izaya, okay?" Izaya dropped his arms and gave an annoyed sigh, nodding his head in confirmation. "I'll _try._"

"Good. Alright then, you two can leave now. Don't forget about your afterschool detention where you have to clean up that mess you two made. Later." With that, Kadota stepped out of the men's locker room and most likely headed to his office to finish all that paperwork that was building up on his desk. As well as yell at Saburo, who had no doubt been slacking off all this time.

As soon as Kadota left, Izaya and Masaomi stepped out as well. Masaomi inhaled the air, giving out a relieved sigh. He hated being in the men's locker room. It reeked of sweat. Masaomi made a mental note to ask Kadota to Febreze it later. Much later when Kadota wasn't pissed at him, that's for sure.

Masaomi headed in the direction of the cafeteria, his stomach demanding that he eat already. The girl's locker room just so happened to be in that direction. As soon as he passed by it, his nose wrinkled in disgust and he immediately went to cover his nose. "Ugh, their perfume is too strong! How have they not died from the smell yet?"

Izaya laughed from behind him, but his laughter immediately ceased once he was in whiff proximately. He stepped back and covered his nose, annoyance shining in his eyes. "I have to agree with you there, Kida-kun. The female humans are quite strange with their love for perfume. I'm truly thankful my two younger sisters aren't this obsessed with the fragrance. Though, I suppose it makes me love humans even more. Their habits and everything is quite particular."

Masaomi didn't comment on the way Izaya talked like an alien, with how he addressed humans as something different compared to him. It's probably true that Izaya has his own species. _Great, another alien. Just what I need. At least Mikado is more bearable. _

"Wait a sec! Two younger sisters?! You have sisters?!" Masaomi dropped the hand that was covering his nose in shock, his eyes going wide at this new information. His eyes went wider when the smell came rushing back, causing him to step back, away from the girl's locker room. Izaya followed the blonde, not wanting to be near the girl's locker room any longer.

"Yes, is it really such a surprise that I have two younger siblings? Everyone had reacted that way when they learned the news." Izaya gave a careless shrug, obviously not caring much about the small tidbit of information.

"I feel bad for them. Being related to _you_ of all people… Do they live with you? How come I haven't seen them around?"

"I'm hurt that you would say such a thing. Though, I can't really say much. They hate me and I hate them. Oh and yes, they do live with me. We try to stay away from each other though. They're usually either out and about roaming the streets of Ikebukuro, causing trouble or locked up in their rooms. Doesn't make a difference to me either way. You most likely haven't seen them around because for one, you haven't been here long. Today marks you fourth day in Ikebukuro, does it not?"

Masaomi nodded his head in confirmation. He couldn't believe it really had only been four days. It's felt like much longer.

"Secondly, the past four days that you've been in Ikebukuro, there hardly went out. Late Saturday is when you arrived, correct? That day, they slept the entire day away. They were too exhausted from Friday's party. Sunday, they didn't leave the house that much because they were stuck cleaning up the parties mess. I cleaned some of it, but made them clean up the rest. Sunday is also when you and I met for the first time so of course I didn't introduce you to them. Besides, I didn't think it'd be necessary for you to meet them. They'll just annoy you."

"Funny you say they'll annoy me when that's all you do. It would've been nice for me to meet them. Just in case I get lonely, you know?"

"Our relationship is different and special that way, Kida-kun. Oh, and trust me. You won't get lonely with me around." He rolled his eyes at how conceited Izaya was being. "Now then, yesterday, they were at school and didn't get home until late. You were also at school and I assume you went straight home? That marks three days out of the four you've been here. You may see them today, who really knows?"

Masaomi nodded, finding that Izaya had a point, but then again. When didn't he? "Uh-huh. Wait, didn't you say party? You threw a party? What was the special occasion? Was it somebody's birthday or something?"

Chuckling, Izaya bopped him on the nose. "No, we're not children. There was no special occasion. I threw the party, just to have a party. I have one every week actually, if I find the time or am in the mood. Hasn't your precious Mikado told you this? I'm actually having one this Saturday now that I think about it. You should come. Let me show you what a real party is." Izaya gave the blonde a wink, before entering the cafeteria doors.

Masaomi wrinkled his nose in disgust at the wink, he really didn't want to know what that meant, but he was curious. He wanted to see Izaya in a party atmosphere, but then again. He didn't think he wanted too. He would ask Mikado about it later. To figure out if it would be safe or not.

Entering the cafeteria beside Izaya, to answer Izaya's proposal, he muttered a small, "Maybe."

As soon as they stepped foot into the cafeteria, any and all conversations stopped. Everyone went quiet and stared at the two. Several people were surprised to see them together, honestly. Considering what happened yesterday and during science period, which no doubt spread all over the school by now.

"Just ignore them. Do that and you should be fine." Izaya whispered to him, making sure it was unnoticed by the others.

Masaomi didn't reply, but planned to do as told, even if he wasn't told that. Izaya headed to the lunch line, but Masaomi remained standing there for a few seconds longer. He released a sigh, before doing the same, his stomach practically throwing him in that direction.

Much to his misfortune, he was right behind Izaya in the line, no other person able to go behind the raven haired male, since they were about halfway into lunch period. The good thing about that was the line was practically nonexistent. That meant he would only have to be by Izaya's side for a few minutes more.

Simon or Dennis didn't exchange any words with him this time; they just gave him a nod of acknowledgment. Masaomi just assumed that they were worried about breaking the silence that had spread all over the cafeteria, considering how several of this generation's students would react.

As soon as the two males had grabbed their lunches, they each went their separate ways. Izaya headed to the table where he would normally sit at along with his friends and or followers. Masaomi in return headed to the table where Aoba and his gang sat at, he was surprised to find Mikado there as well.

Aoba motioned for the blonde to sit between him and Mikado, finding no reason to complain, he did. He gave an acknowledging nod to everyone present at the table, while everyone gave their own nods or small waves in return.

Once Izaya and Masaomi separated, going there own ways, the silence still remained. Everyone began to wonder if the two had mended their relationship back together after the current events that transpired, but of course not one person dared to ask.

Finally getting fed up with the silence, Izaya cleared his throat rather loudly and gave everyone one of his legendary looks that said, _continue this absurd silence for a second longer and I'll be sure to break you all into two. _

…Okay, so that probably wasn't what his look said, but who really cares? That's what Masaomi read it as, but then again, he was on the other side of the cafeteria, so he couldn't be sure. Either way, it worked. Everyone continued their previous conversations, acting as though what happened earlier never did happen.

Masaomi let out a sigh and leaned against Mikado for support, starling the unsuspecting dark haired male, "M-Masaomi? Are you okay?"

"Mhm, just a bit tired. This morning's events really took a toll on me. Just let me rest here for a bit, okay man?" Masaomi shut his eyes and started to doze off. He really was tired. That organ fight took most of his energy away. Yet, here he was. Just dying to start a food fight. Typical Masaomi, right?

He could hear Mikado let out a sigh, "Fine, but only for a little bit. Lunch is almost over and you still have to eat. Alright?"

Masaomi gave a sound of understanding, only halfway comprehending what Mikado had said, for he was already more than halfway asleep. Soon, he passed out completely, fully relying on Mikado for support.

Aoba and crew let out a small laugh at Mikado's face that consisted of a pout and annoyance burning in his eyes, as well as fondness. Masaomi really was something else.

"Masaomi, you heavy idiot..."

Lunch period was nearing its end and Masaomi was still asleep. "Aoba, can you wake him for me?"

Aoba snapped his head towards Mikado, who looked at him pleadingly. Nodding, he leaned over to gently shake the blonde awake. "Kida-senpai, it's time to get up."

Groaning, Masaomi rubbed his eyes in an attempt to get the sleep out of his system. "Can't I just have five more minutes?"

Grinning at Masaomi's antics, Aoba shook his head. "At this rate, in five minutes we'll be leaving for next period. Come on senpai, we let you sleep long enough. You don't want to get in trouble for sleeping through your next period, do you?"

Letting out another groan, Masaomi lifted himself off of the awkwardly sitting Mikado with a sigh, "Fine fine." His eyes had remained shut during his lifting, causing him to accidentally bump foreheads with Aoba who was hovering slightly above him.

Aoba moved back, rubbing his forehead in pain, while Masaomi did the same. "Ahh, crap. Sorry, Aoba."

Aoba stopped rubbing his forehead, shaking his head. "At least now I know you're awake."

Masaomi let out a laugh at this, grinning. "You have a point there!"

"Don't I always?" Aoba chuckled, small grin on his face as well, causing Masaomi to roll his eyes. "Now then, you should really start eating your food if you don't want to head to next period on an empty stomach. Especially since we're heading to PE next."

Masaomi nodded and began to eat his sushi, humming in delight. "Man, this is good! Best sushi I've ever had!" He shouted once he had finished swallowing the delicious piece of seafood.

The other occupants of their table gave grunts of agreement, as well as nearby tables who happened to hear the blonde's outburst. "Their sushi is the best. Have you been to Russia Sushi yet? That's the restaurant that Simon and Dennis co-own." Masaomi shook his head, "No, but I've been dying to go ever since Izaya told me about it."

"We'll have to go sometime soon then, Kida-senpai. All of us can go." Masaomi nodded his head in agreement, "Yeah, lets!"

Soon after, they or more so Masaomi finished his meal just as the bell signaling the end of lunch period rang. The group stood up and tossed their trash away before heading in their separate ways. Aoba, Masaomi, and Neko headed towards the gym to meet up with Simon, who would be there PE teacher.

Neko snickered beside Masaomi, "Better hope you have a lot of stamina! Simon is a crazy PE teacher, nyahaha!"

Masaomi gulped, "Seriously? I remember Saki saying something like that, but is he really that bad?"

"Well, Simon _was _a part of the Russian mafia, so no doubt he's hard on his students. If you're well-behaved, he'll even show you a few moves. "

Masaomi jumped and quickly turned his head behind him to see Izaya, grinning in all his glory. "Izaya! What the hell?! Why do you keep doing that?!"

"Keep doing what?" He asked, blinking his eyes innocently.

Masaomi let out a frustrated sigh, before turning back around and continuing his walk, fully planning on ignoring the raven haired male. "Aw, Kida-kun. Don't be that way. I'm just having some fun."

"Get lost."

"No."

"I'm still pissed at you, so go away."

"Okay—yeah, no."

Masaomi looked up to the ceiling and prayed to whatever god that was taking requests to help him get through the day without feeling the urge to pummel Izaya to the ground. Turning back around to face the ever grinning male, he crossed his arms over his chest. "Why are you even following us? Don't you help Gramps right about now?"

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he gave a small shrug. "That's on Mondays, today is Tuesday and so I help Simon out today. It's my schedule, you know. I help different teachers out on different days."

"It's your schedule, my ass." Masaomi could hear Neko mutter behind him.

"You're a pain in the ass, you know that, Izaya?"

"Yes, I know. I've been told on several occasions, but you love me so there's no problem is there?"

Masaomi scoffed, "Didn't you promise Mr. Kadota that you'd try and not cause any more trouble today?"

"I never promised Dota-chin anything, I said I would try. I really am trying, too. I'm not trying to cause you, Aoba, or Neko any trouble. I don't think I am either. Do you think differently?"

The three of them nodded simultaneously, causing Izaya to pout. "How so, hm?"

"Just by being here." They once again simultaneously said.

"Now you guys, that was mean."

Masaomi sighed, "Fine, whatever. Tag along, but…" Masaomi glanced at the Aoba and Neko who were currently glaring daggers at the parka wearing male, "Promise me you'll try _not_ to piss them off."

Izaya looked at Aoba and Neko as well, before adverting his gaze back to the blonde who gave him a pleading look. He opened his mouth to reject his request, but found himself agreeing to it instead. He was quite shocked that he planned to do something, but did the exact opposite instead.

Masaomi gave a relieved sigh, giving Izaya a grateful small smile. "Alright, let's get going before we're late."

The three younger males continued walking towards the gym, having their own little conversations. Izaya stared at their backs, before shaking his head and following.

_The perfume from earlier must have me acting so weirdly._

The four friends—er, sort of, have finally made it to the gym, just in time too. The second they walked through the double doors, the bell rang. "Ah, Kida. We have good time, yes?"

Masaomi looked up at the towering male, "Hey, Simon and yeah, we sure as hell will! Oh, before I forget! Your sushi was the bomb! The best I ever had! Five stars? Yeah, right. I'd give it a galaxy of stars if I could!"

Simon laughed, giving the blonde two thumbs up. "Good, good. You share that happiness with others, okay? Don't steal others happiness, share it! Sharing good."

Masaomi grinned and nodded in understanding, "I sure will!"

Simon nodded in approval, "Aoba, Neko, Izaya. Good to see you. You like today's sushi?"

The three nodded their heads simultaneously.

"Kida-senpai was right, it really was good."

"It was as good as always, nya!"

"Do you even have to ask, Simon? Though I still prefer Fatty Tuna…"

Simon laughed at their responses, "No worry Izaya. Fatty Tuna next time."

Izaya grinned at this, looking like a child, causing Masaomi to chuckle. _He sure does love Fatty Tuna, huh?_ "Great!"

"Say, Simon. What do you guys do in PE anyways?"

Simon turned his attention back to the blonde, "Ah, that's right. Kida new, huh? Today, you do stretches and then run laps. After, we play volleyball."

"How many laps are we running exactly?"

"Hm…ten!"

Neko spluttered in the background, "What the hell? Are you fucking crazy?! That's too much!"

Simon looked insulted, "No cursing. Cursing bad."

"That's not the point!"

"Neko does have a point, Simon. If you have the kids run ten laps, they'll never finish. You should lower it some." Izaya stood forward, trying to make a point.

"Hm…You have point, Izaya. Then you run five laps."

Neko groaned, "That's still too much!"

Aoba laughed at Neko, "Neko relax. It's only five. Way better than ten, right?" Neko pouted, "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I'm going to go over there now."

Masaomi chuckled, but then turned to point a finger in Izaya's face and yelled at the top of his lungs. "I challenge you to a race! Whoever runs the five laps the fastest wins! No stopping to walk either! Loser has to do one thing the winner wants without complaint! It can be whatever!"

Izaya smirked, "Are you sure you want to challenge _me_ of all people? I'll beat you without a problem."

Masaomi nodded, "I'm positive! You won't know until you try, right?"

Izaya continued to smirk, looking towards the blonde with slight respect, slight being the keyword. "You're on."

The two walked outside, glaring daggers at each other. They went to the starting line, followed by all the other students. "Alright, clean fight you two. You run all the way around field. No cutting corners. Ready, set, go!"

With that, everyone was off. Izaya and Masaomi were being wise, jogging it out first. That way they wouldn't run out of stamina right away. "Ah, I see you aren't as stupid as you look."

Masaomi's eye twitched, but he refused to let the insult get to him. "I could say the same about you."

Around the beginning to their second lap is when they started running for real. They didn't give it all they had just yet though, or else they would lose their stamina before they made it to the fifth and final lap. "You're holding up much better than I thought you would, Kida-kun."

"You should see me when I give it my all! I was the fastest runner at all my previous schools. Even ask Mikado if you don't believe me."

"No need. I believe you. Let's just see if you can continue being the fastest runner. Just so you know, I'm quite well known for my speed. I have to be fast after all. Since I have to run from Shizu-chan all the damn time."

Masaomi laughed at how spiteful Izaya sounded when he talked about Shizuo, "That's your own damn fault for pissing him off all the time."

Izaya scoffed just as they finished their second lap and began their third lap, "I do nothing. Just seeing me gets him all riled up. He has problems I swear. He's probably one of the only humans I despise."

"Oh right, you love _all_ humans don't you?"

Izaya nodded, "Just because I love humans, doesn't mean I love _you_ in particular."

Masaomi went slightly red, giving a scoff of his own. "Like hell I thought that! Even if you _did_ love _me_ I would've rejected you because one, I'm so not gay and two, who would ever love a bastard like you?"

Izaya feigned the hurt look, "I'm insulted, Kida-kun."

Rolling his eyes, he grinned. "Good."

They remained silent the rest of their third and fourth lap. They began their fifth final lap, speeding up, going as fast as they could. Izaya was impressed to learn that Masaomi really could keep up with him; he was expecting to leave the blonde in his dust once he went serious. "Wow, I'm impressed, but let's see how long you can keep up."

"I warned ya, didn't I? Oh, and you stole my line."

They sprinted towards the finish line where Simon stood, watching them and waving towards them with a huge grin on his face. On the benches, several students who had given up during their earlier laps sat, cheering them on. Neko of course, was one of the many who dropped out during his earlier laps, during his second lap to be exact. "Kick Izaya's ass!"

Aoba who had just finished his fourth lap, finally gave up and moved over to the benches and plopped himself down beside Neko, taking the outstretched water bottle thankfully, and chugging its contents down. He capped the bottle and decided he would cheer Masaomi on as well, "You can do it, Kida-senpai!"

"What the hell is going on?"

Aoba and Neko turned to see none other than Heiwajima Shizuo walking towards them, hands shoved in his pockets, looking confused. "Ah, Shizuo-senpai. Kida-senpai and that damned hyena are racing."

Shizuo looked towards the field, "Kida-senpai? Who…? Oh! Kida Masaomi! Is he winning? Please tell me he's winning."

"They're evenly matched for now."

Shizuo plopped himself down beside Aoba and Neko, "Hey kid! You'd better beat that damn flea! I'm counting on you!"

"Ahh, I see you even had Shizu-chan cheering for you."

"No surprise there, he really hates you after all."

"Touché."

The two were nearing the finish line and were giving it their all, sweat dripped down their foreheads and they were panting hard, just communicating was difficult enough for them. They were evenly matched; everyone was starting to believe that it'd end in a tie. That was until Masaomi tripped.

Somehow, he tripped on a big rock that he didn't see in front of him, sprawling to the ground. It was unfortunate too because he was just a few feet away from the finish line. "Dammit no!" Masaomi rushed to his feet and tried to catch up the dark haired male, but was too slow to get caught up.

Izaya had won on a lucky shot.

"See, I told you I would win."

Glaring, Masaomi shook his head. "That was only because I tripped on some stupid rock! That's not fair!"

"All is fair in love and war, Kida-kun." All Masaomi knew was that he was starting to hate that quote. "Now, a promise is a promise. You have to do one thing that I want without complaint. Remember?"

Grumbling, Masaomi begrudgingly nodded, "Yeah, yeah. I know. What do you want me to do?"

Izaya tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Hm, I don't know yet. We'll have to postpone this, alright? But don't you dare forget."

"…I won't."

Simon clapped them on the back, "Good job guys, you did well!"

Aoba, Neko, and surprisingly even Shizuo came running towards them. "Senpai! You did a good job! You would've won too if it weren't for that stupid rock." Neko nodded his head in agreement.

"I bet you stupid fucking Izaya made it so that you would trip by dropping that rock there!" Shizuo made a swing for Izaya that Simon stopped. "Violence bad, Shizuo."

"Dammit Simon! You're always getting in the fucking way!"

Sighing, Masaomi shook his head, "Nah, Izaya didn't cheat. The rock was there even before we started our running. I had seen it before, but didn't notice it during our last run. So, I guess you could say he won fair and square."

Aoba patted him on the shoulder, "Gah, but still! I've known Izaya for years! He probably placed that rock there before school or something! Knowing you'd trip right there."

"Shizu-chan, I didn't cheat geez."

Shizuo went stomping off, muttering about how he couldn't believe that Izaya won without cheating. How it was impossible or whatnot.

Simon clapped his hands together to grab everyone's attention, "Volleyball time!" No one commented about how they forgot to do the stretches.

Everyone jogged back inside the gym and prepared for their volleyball game, "Split into two teams. Some will have to be bench warmers." Simon ordered them, running to grab a volleyball for the game.

Most people went to sit on the bench right away, so deciding who would play wasn't that difficult. Team A was Masaomi, Aoba, Neko, Shizuo, Anri, and Rocchi. Team B is Izaya, Namie, Mika, Seiji, and Haruna.

Team A made their shouts of war.

"We can beat their team!"

"Let's do this Kida-senpai!"

"Let's kick their asses, nya!"

"We'll hand them their asses! Especially that damn flea!"

"…L-Let's do our best!"

"My, my. Everyone's so rowdy, aren't they?"

Team B did as well.

"I hope you're ready to lose again, Kida-kun."

"This is so stupid, but I get to see Seiji play so I'm not complaining."

"That's my line you old hag!"

"Sis, Mika, please stop fighting."

"I'll win for Takashi!"

They all made weird shouts, but as long as it motivated them. Anything was fine. The crowd all chuckled nervously though. The atmosphere was too serious for a game. Everyone was slightly worried for their safety. Hell, they were worried for the ball!

Simon blew his whistle, "Izaya and Kida. Rock, paper, scissors to see who start."

Izaya and Masaomi walked up to the net on their sides and did as told, shouting simulataneously. "Rock, paper, scissors!"

Masaomi won with rock, so his team would get the first serve, not that it made a difference to Izaya. Blowing the whistle once again, Simon grinned and gave them the thumbs up. "Begin!"

Anri was the first server; she got in position and called out service before hitting the ball over the net. Haruna made a dash for it, diving towards the ground to hit it back over. Neko in return hit the ball back over. Once again, Team B hit it back over. The ball went back and forth until Masaomi went after the ball, spiking on their opponents side, earning the first point.

"Hah, not bad, Kida-kun. Don't think you've won just because you made the first point though."

"I'm not that stupid, Izaya."

They hit the ball back and forth, each team scoring point after point after point. They were in the final set, and Izaya's team was winning by two points. Therefore, they were on their set point. If they score this point, the game is over. Masaomi bit his bottom lip in worry.

It was once again Izaya's turn to serve the ball which made things a hell of a lot worse, "Service~!" He served the ball towards the other side and Masaomi immediately went after it, he tried to spike it on the other teams side, like he had done several times before, but was aghast when his spike was stopped by a block made by none other than Izaya. Aoba tried to run and save the ball, but missed. Therefore, ending the game with Izaya's win.

"Looks like I win again, Kida-kun!"

"Good game, Izaya." Masaomi adverted his gaze, not wanting to look at Izaya's smug expression.

The bell signaling the end of the period rang and everyone started to leave, talking about how good a game it was. Shizuo went storming off, pissed that Izaya won again. Aoba and Neko bid Masaomi goodbye, heading to their own next period. Soon, Masaomi and Izaya were the only ones remaining in the gym. Even Simon had left to go use the restroom.

Izaya had went under the net so that he was now on the same side of the court as Masaomi. He stared at the blonde for a few silent seconds before moving closer and ruffling his hair, bending down just a little so that they were eye to eye. Not that there was much difference in their height.

Masaomi looked at Izaya, eyes wide in shock. "What the hell—"

"Don't be sulking over a game. You were close to winning and you were good, I'll give you that. It was also the most fun I had in ages. Let's play again sometime. Maybe then you'll be able to beat me." Izaya then walked out the double doors, heading to his next class, small grin on his face.

_…What the hell happened to Izaya? Did he get hit in the head with the volleyball or something? _

**I don't know if girl's locker rooms really smell like perfume or not, but whatever. I just assumed that because all the girls I know use a hella lot of perfume, especially after PE. It's supposedly to make them smell better, but in reality. I think it makes them smell worse. Sweat + Perfume = Ew. Oh, and I haven't played volleyball in ages okay, don't judge if there are mistakes here and there.**

**If you couldn't tell, I got lazy towards the end. I'm tired, okay? It's already past midnight and I didn't want to push off finishing this chapter until tomorrow and missing the update day so... Though, I kind of did. Three minutes passed. : **

**Anyways, hope you enjoyed for the most part! Review, review, and review! Now, I'm heading to bed! Night! C:**


	13. Chapter 13

**Here's that chapter I told ya I'd get in sometime during the week before the update day!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing mentioned in this story belongs to me, all rights go to their original owners!**

* * *

Chapter 13

Not everyone is Who You Think They Are at First Glance…

Masaomi walked through the crowded halls of Raira Academy, hands propped up behind his head in a lazy manner. "Man, I'm beat. Wonder if Mikado will let me snooze on him again…Nah, probably not."

Physical Education class had just ended moments ago and he was beyond exhausted. Normally, he wouldn't be this exhausted. This _is_ Kida Masaomi we're talking about. The big giant ball of energy. Although, he wasn't such big ball of energy now, was he? You can't have an endless supply of energy all the time, after all. You'll need breaks every now and then.

Today was a tiring day for the blonde, he honestly had no idea it would escalate this far. The racing to school and afterwards meeting the infamous Heiwajima Shizuo and trying to stay alive didn't exhaust him much. The organ fight he had with Izaya earlier sure did. Not to mention his PE class. You try running five big laps without stopping to rest or walk, tripping, and then moving on to play a Volleyball game right after. Correction. An _intense_ Volleyball game.

Oh my dudeness, was he exhausted.

He entered fifth period with several minutes to spare, meaning he had some relaxation time. Thank God! Collapsing beside Mikado with a sigh, he rested his head down in his arms. Giving a grunt as a greeting, when everyone else – everyone else being Saki, Mikado, and Erika – greeted him cheerfully.

Mikado rose a brow at the big tired blonde lump sitting beside him, that just so happened to be his best friend in the entire world. "Masaomi? What's wrong?"

"I'm exhausted! That's what! PE killed me!"

Saki giggled, "I told you Simon was rough, didn't I? You just made fun of me…"

"I didn't make fun of you, Saki darling. You're imagining things…" Saki rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say, Masaomi."

Masaomi just groaned in response, "When will this day end… Mikado, I see a bright light. Oh look! Grandma's there too! She's calling out to me! Oh shit, Mikado she has sushi with her! I think I'm going to head out now. It was nice knowin' ya all while it lasted. Grandma, wait for meeee!" Masaomi's three friends laughed at his antics.

"Masaomi, if anything you're going to hell. Not heaven."

"Way to go and be painfully blunt, Mikado. Love ya too." Masaomi rolled his eyes and he was sure Mikado was doing the same.

Erika hit the table, starling the blonde and making him look up at her. "Sushi?! What, is your grandma secretly related to Simon and Dennis somehow?" Erika had managed to say between her fit of giggles. It was a hidden fact that she was actually giggling because of the blonde's love confession, but of course she didn't comment on that.

Masaomi gave a small shrug, "Who knows—maybe she had a sexual relationship with them both—" Masaomi was instantly hit in the back of the head by none other than Mikado. Masaomi rubbed the back of his head, "Ow, Mikado. What was that for?"

"For being an idiot. Tell your grandma I said, you're welcome, won't you?"

"Yeah, sure thing—Wait a sec, what for?"

"For saving her pride. Her idiot of a grandson was about to destroy it all just now."

"I'll tell her. Huh, I do wonder who that was though…"

"Idiot."

Masaomi just grinned cheekily at him, "You love me though!"

The group of friends laughed some more, Mikado then patted Masaomi on the back, whether it was his way of showing sympathy or not, Masaomi could care less. "You say that you're exhausted, but you can still crack jokes like this, huh? Guess you can joke anytime, anywhere."

Masaomi gave Mikado his most serious face possible, "I'm not joking man. I could seriously see and hear my grandma. She was trying to bribe me with sushi. But I was just like, nah. Sorry grangran, but Mikado needs me. Without me, he's toast!"

Masaomi pounced on Mikado, bringing him into a headlock before the both of them burst into a fit of laughter. "She's actually still trying to persuade me."

"Masaomi, have I ever told you that you're an idiot?"

"Yup, many times."

"Hey guys! What are you four talking about? Is it about Seiji?" Masaomi turned to look at the newcomer who had just seated themselves down beside the now calm Erika – or at least she looked calm. You could never really tell when she was plotting something…

She was a pretty girl if you ask, yes. Though she was quite odd. She wore pink… Pink everything pretty much and had a very noticeable scar around her neck. It looked as though she had her head chopped off and then sown back on. Masaomi could recall seeing her in a few of his others classes, but never really was introduced to the brunette.

"Ah, hey Mika! Nah, we're just talking about how idiotic Masaomi is." Erika cheerfully informed who Masaomi assumed was Mika with a bright grin.

"Masaomi…? Oh, you mean him?" Mika pointed towards the blonde who still had Mikado in a headlock, looking towards Erika for confirmation. When Erika gave it, she turned to smile at the blonde. "Hi! I'm Mika, Harima Mika. It's nice to meet you!"

"I—" Before the blonde could say anything, Mika put her hand out in front of his face to silence him.

"Before you start hitting on me like all men do, know that I have a very handsome loving boyfriend name Seiji! Yagiri Seiji! I love him and he loves me. No way in hell would I cheat on him. We're made for each other."

Masaomi just stared at her like her head had popped off of her neck and started prancing around the room, doing some strange dance that he kind of wanted to join. "…Alright, congratz you two. Anyways, do you happen to be related to a girl by the name of Niekawa Haruna by any chance?"

Mikado had realized where Masaomi was going and smacked him upside the head again, "Masaomi!"

"What?! What did I say?!" The blonde cried out, massaging his aching head.

"Don't be a jerk!"

"I'm not! I'm asking her a very important question, okay?!"

Mika tilted her head to the side, obviously confused as to why his question would be considered rude, until it clicked. "Oh no, you think our relationship is forced and one-sided, don't you?! I'm not related to her! Our love is pure! I guarantee you!"

"Riiiiight." Masaomi nodded unsurely.

Mikado made a move to smack him again, but Masaomi dodged just in the nick of time. "Mikado! You have to stop doing that!" Mikado just turned away and crossed his arms in a huff.

"Anyways, Masaomi you were killing it back there! If it weren't for Seiji blocking your last few attacks, I'm sure you would've won!" Masaomi couldn't exactly tell if she was insulting him or complimenting him, it seemed all she talked about was her beloved Seiji.

"Killing it back there…? Masaomi, please tell me you didn't get into another fight." Mikado pleads, looking worried.

"What? No! We were playing volleyball in PE!"

Mikado let out a relieved sigh, "Thank God…" Masaomi pouted, "I see how much you believe in me…"

"Anyways, you were amazing Masaomi! I was quite surprised when you challenged Izaya like that! I was kind of hoping you'd win too! Too bad you didn't…" Mika continued to boast his ego, but then managed to destroy it when she mentioned his loss.

"Wait, what are you talking about? Masaomi, you challenged Izaya? At what? Wait a sec, is that why he wasn't in last period?" Saki asked, confused.

Masaomi nodded, "Izaya seems to enjoy following me to my other classes. He did the same exact thing yesterday. I challenged him to a race. Simon had us run five laps and I thought it'd be a good time to get back at him. I lost though. Just because of a stupid rock…"

Erika turned to Mika, looking much more excited than she really should be. "Explain to us in great detail, Mika."

Mika nodded and began to explain her tale of what transpired during PE, telling about the moment when Masaomi challenged the dark haired older male all the way to the final moments of PE. "His team was doing great! We won by two points! We were all sweaty it was gross! Except for Seiji of course. His sweat was beautiful."

Everyone laughed nervously at her last comment, but said nothing about it. "Oh! I almost forgot! Something big did happen after PE! I've been meaning to ask you about it."

"It doesn't involve Seiji, does it?" He tentatively asked.

"No, it doesn't. Geez, I'd better keep you away from my Seiji. Before you steal him from me. Not that you can." Masaomi just rolled his eyes at her absurd comment.

"Mika, what was it you were going to say?" Saki asked, trying to get them back on track, like the good girl she was.

"Oh right! Almost forgot again, hehe! Okay anyways, it was towards the end of PE, right? Everyone except for a select two had left – three if you count me. Anyways, it was Izaya and Masaomi." Masaomi didn't really pay attention to what it was she was saying so didn't really comment. Too busy in his own world.

"Izaya came over to Masaomi's side of the court and just stared at him for a few seconds. Soon he bent down and ruffled Masaomi's hair lovingly!" This caught Masaomi's attention, "He then said something, but I couldn't really catch it since I had to run because he was coming my way. I didn't want to get in trouble either so…. I was going to ask Masaomi if you two were dating. 'Cause it sure did sound like some loving words from where I stood. "

Masaomi spluttered, "What the hell?! No! We're not! I wouldn't date that guy if he was the last person in the world!"

"Oh, but then why'd he ruffle your hair like that? Only couples do that." Mika asked, trying to better understand the situation. She thought that Masaomi was ashamed of their relationship and wanted to help give him better confidence. Poor girl was so wrong.

"I don't know! Ask him! He's the one who did it! Couples aren't the only ones who do that you know! Parents and siblings do that! Maybe he just thought of me as a younger brother! I do the same thing to Mikado and don't think of him as a boyfriend or anything like that! Either way, I hate that bastard and nothing will make me stop hating him!" Masaomi crossed his arms in an annoyed huff.

Mikado and Saki didn't say anything, Erika was busy Fangirling, and Mika was too shocked at his outburst to say anything. She was really starting to believe that she was wrong on this one.

Saki took it in her to change the subject and hopefully get rid of this strange awkward atmosphere. Pouting, she mumbles. "Great, another fast runner…" Masaomi turned to blink at her, confused at first, but then laughed.

Mikado shook his head, a fond smile on his face. "That's Masaomi for you. Challenging people and always somehow losing."

"Hey! I don't always lose!" Mikado gave him an, 'oh really' look.

Erika doesn't comment on anything they say, too busy Fangirling. After a minute of silent Fangirling, she jumped up and screamed, catching everyone in the rooms' attention. "Ah! Izaomi is totally going to be canon at this rate! Oh, or is it Kizaya?! Ah! I don't know! Top and bottom, top and bottom, top and bottom!"

"…Is she okay?" Masaomi nervously asked.

"Yeah, she's always like this. Just ignore her." Someone supplied, he didn't know who, but he nodded in understanding.

A few minutes after Erika's outburst, they managed to calm her down slightly. At least now she isn't screaming at the top of her lungs. She was still Fangirling like her life depended on it though – it probably did actually.

Rio soon comes to sit with them, plopping herself down beside the blonde. "Hey Mika, Mikado, Saki, Erika." The four gave their own greetings back. Rio then turns to look at Masaomi pensively for a few minutes, before giving him a nod of acknowledgment.

Rio then begins to ignore the rest of their conversation to stare off into space. This causes Masaomi to raise a brow, but not say anything. Afraid of pissing another girl off. He didn't exactly know if this girl liked him or hated him. She acted pretty weird to him during lunch so he had no idea. Soon, class actually begins for the first time and all conversations come to an end as they begin to pay attention to whatever it is they're learning. That is until Vorona and Sloan start arguing about something again.

_These kids…_

Rio ignores the lesson currently being taught to them – lesson that's trying to be taught to them at least -, too busy lost in thought and staring at the blonde, she doesn't know if Masaomi noticed her constant staring and could really care less if he did. She knew that he did notice when his gaze flickered to meet hers. He gave her a small smile before looking back towards the board to learn. Or at least try to.

Rio gulped, _Should I tell him? Should I ask him for his help? What if he turns on me? What if he goes to Izaya and tells him everything? All my hard work until now will be ruined. There's a part of me that believes that he won't turn on me though. He seems to hate Izaya, but then again. Who doesn't? I'll just ask him after class. I can't do this on my own anymore. _

Everyone thinks that Rio has this unbreakable and unshakable loyalty to Izaya, but they're wrong. She despises the guy to be honest. He ruined her life and continues to so now. She's just waiting to get rid of him, once and for all. It would do _everyone_ a favor.

It had all started about a year ago, when Rio was still in middle school, it was her last year to be precise. She had been sent to the office to turn in some papers for her teacher. She didn't mind really. The less time she had to spend with her idiotic classmates, the better.

She handed the papers to the counter lady and told her what they were for and from which teacher they came from. She was about to leave when her name was called, "Rio! Do me a favor and take this guy where he needs to go, won't you?"

The principal had asked her, so she really had no choice. Thankfully, where this mysterious guy had to go was in the same direction she was going. It was actually her own classroom. That meant she didn't have to go to the other side of the school or anything. "Of course."

She leads the unknown male down the hall, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. The smirk he carried couldn't help but make her feel uneasy. She quickly adverted her gaze when he met her eyes with his own.

"You are?"

"…Kamichika Rio." At the time, she didn't feel that there would be any harm in telling the guy her name. To this day, it's one of her biggest regrets.

"Ah, Orihara Izaya at your service!" He gave a dramatic bow, that smirk that made Rio uneasy still on his face.

"…You don't go here, do you? I mean, I've never seen you around before, so…" She had nervously asked, why she was so nervous, she hadn't known. But now that she thought back on it, she was sure it was because of his aura. The way he looked so confident. Like he knew all your secrets and could easily break you in two. The irony, huh?

"Ah, a smart one, aren't you? You are indeed correct. I'm from Raira Academy. Have you heard of it? Oh, excuse me. That was a stupid question. Of course you have. I'm positive that not one person hasn't heard of the school before. Even people who shut themselves up in their room and avoid society all together have heard of the infamous school." He chuckled, finding the whole thing amusing. Rio was sure that he had been one of the many reasons as to why the school was so popular.

"Yes, I have actually. I heard that it's a good school. I was actually planning on signing up there…" She didn't know why, but she seemed to be able to tell Izaya anything without hesitation. She hated it. She felt that she was supposed to be cautious around him, but couldn't for some odd reason. Did she mention how much she hated it? She still does to this day.

"Hm, that so? I'm sure Dota-chin will accept your application without a problem."

They remain quiet for the rest of the walk to the classroom which was fine by Rio. The less she talked to this guy the better.

When they had entered, everyone was eating their lunch in small huddled groups of friends. Izaya examined the classroom, before walking over to his target. "Ah, boys. There you are. I've been looking all over for you four."

"Huh? Who the hell 'er you?" The group leader spoke with venom clear in his voice, this didn't make Izaya flinch in the slightest. If anything, it made his grin grow.

"The name is Orihara Izaya. Might I ask for your names? Not that it really matters to me."

"That's a stupid name." The leader spoke.

"Hell yeah, it is." One of his lackeys agreed.

"Why the fuck should we give you our names, huuuuh?" Another one of the leaders lackeys shouted.

"If it doesn't fucking matter to you, then why the fuck did you ask, retard?" Finally, his last lackey commented.

"Now, now boys. Don't be so feisty. I asked just to be polite. Where's the harm in that? Though, I suppose you don't really deserve that, do you?" You could practically hear Izaya's amusement in his voice.

"Okay man, seriously. What the hell do you want? We ain't want no trouble so spit it out." The leader called out, obviously fed up with Izaya by now.

"I'm so happy you asked." Izaya said in an overly sweet tone, before tossing them all of their stuff. "I came to return your belongings."

"What the fuck?!" The leader shouted, man. Wasn't he such a potty mouth?

"This is the stuff those bitched took from us!" Oh, this one too.

"Are you somehow related to them?!" This one is fine for now.

"Are you their boyfriend or something?!" Now this one was just plain stupid.

"Their boyfriend? Oh heavens no. I'm their older brother if that helps clear up any misunderstandings. I just came to return your stuff. It's not like we need it anyways." Izaya gave a careless shrug, still disgusted over the fact that they thought he was Mairu and Kururi's boyfriend.

"You and your sisters can go to fucking hell!"

"Now, that's just plain out rude. Here I am, returning the things you dropped while you ran for your lives with your panties in a twist from the kindness of my heart. When I return them, you get all angry, call my two loving sisters' bitches – not that I don't disagree with you there - and send my sisters and I to hell. How rude can one get?"

The four men are beyond fed up now and move to attack Izaya all at once. This is Izaya we're talking about so dodging their attacks was easier than taking candy from a baby. He kicked all four of them in the groin and threw them to the ground, hopping on all four of them with a laugh. He then tosses their stuff on top of them and the smirk is back, "Maybe this will help you think about which woman you try and drag to bed with you."

He spit on them before walking out of the classroom, whistling. On his way out, he passes by Rio. He gives her a small smile that seems more menacing than kind, causing a shiver to run down her back. "I'll see you around, Kamichika Rio."

After their first encounter, Izaya starts coming by more and more often to just hang out with her. She found it strange at first and commented on it, but he just grinned at her. "I've come around so much because I want to hang out with my new best friend."

She never brought it up again after that. She'd never admit it to him or anyone, but she was glad he came around when he did. He was always saving her from the bullies. Eating lunch with her. Helping with homework… He was the only real friend she had.

Or so she thought.

Her thought process on the male started changing drastically one day when he didn't come meet her for lunch. Instead, she found him outside, communicating with several other students. She had made her way over, curious as to what he was saying. She didn't get to hear much because he spotted her right away, "Ah, Rio. It's so good to see you."

She nodded, "What were you guys talking about?"

"Oh, that? Don't worry about it. It was nothing really. Just boring school stuff."

Something in her told her to press farther, to force him to tell her, but she didn't. She regrets that too. If she had done what her gut had told her, she would've been able to avoid what happened after that.

Izaya had stopped coming to see her so often. One day, he'd be out having conversations with other students from her school like she found him that one day. Other days, he wouldn't come at all. It was unnerving. Her suspicions were growing, but she didn't accuse him of anything until she had more proof. When he did come along, she'd act normally, joking around with him.

That was another one of her many regrets.

Finally, it had come to the day where she learned it all. Where she would learn what Izaya really had planned for her from the beginning.

"Izaya, there you are! I've been searching all over for you…" She trailed off when she noticed just who it was he was standing with.

"Ah, Rio! What a pleasant surprise. We were just talking about you. Isn't that right?" He nudged the male standing beside him, who nodded.

"Izaya, what are you doing?" She gulped, not liking the expression that Izaya had on his face one bit.

"Didn't I just tell you? We were communicating."

"About what?"

He chuckled and moved over to bop her on the nose, "You really don't know how to listen do you?"

She furrowed her brows, wondering if he heard what her gut was telling her all this time too. "We were talking about you, dear Rio."

"What about me?"

"You sure do ask a lot of questions, don't you? Though, you don't ask them when you really should… You'll have to work on that."

"Izaya…"

He sighed, but the smirk came crawling back, twice as big this time. "I was just telling him how much you're in love with him. How you stare at him all the time. How you daydream about him."

Time seemed to stop for her when she was told this; she dropped her belongings onto the floor with a loud bang. Her eyes moved over to her secret—well, not so much secret anymore –crush. His look of disgust made her cringe. She didn't want him to find out this way, hell she didn't want him to find out at all! She knew she had no chance. She was even starting to get over it, hell she practically was over it now! But no. Izaya had to go and make the situation worse.

"W-What? Me? A crush on him? You can't be serious. Your jokes are still funny I see." She went for a laugh that sounded more like a whimper.

"Now, Rio. Don't lie. It's not good to lie. Be honest. He already knows now anyway. To be perfectly honest with you, everyone knows now!" Her eyes widened, _No. No, it can't be. He's lying right? Please, tell me he's lying! Tell me this is all some kind of sick joke!_

His face seemed to be as serious as could be; it made her fall to her knees in realization that he was, in fact, telling the truth. "But how did you—"

_My notebook._

She could recall leaving her notebook out when they were eating lunch together up on the roof. She had left to use the bathroom real quick and found that one of the pages was ripped out. The page that she had unconsciously doodled her crush's name on as well as all her secrets. That's when it all clicked. Recently, people had been spreading her secrets around, but she didn't know they found out. Now, she knew.

"Yes, you realize now, don't you? I always knew you'd figure it out sooner or later. I'm disappointed that you did whatever I said though. You didn't question me at all. You went with whatever I said. I expected it though. Did you really believe all this time that I was your friend? That I cared about you?"

She adverted her gaze, her eyes watering. She refused to show any weakness though. Not now, and not ever if she could help it. "Was it fun while it lasted?"

That was the last straw, she burst into tears. She jumped up and tried to slap him, but since their strengths were much different, he was able to stop the impact by grabbing her wrist and twisting it back. "Now, it's my motto to not physically hurt girls. You don't want that to change now, do you?"

She yanked her wrist back and ran. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew that she didn't want to be there anymore. She ran and ran. She made it the front gate and was horrified to find everyone from school standing there. When they caught sight of her, they laughed and made fun of her. She ran through the crowd of students, tears flowing nonstop. She came out with cuts all over her though, courtesy of her classmates.

She ran to an abandoned building not too far away from the school. She went all the way to the roof and stood on the ledge. Only one thought passing through her mind at that moment.

_I want to die._

She was tired of this life. She tried and tried to start over, but it never worked. She was done. She had enough.

"You think dying will solve all your problems, do you?"

Her eyes widened and she turned to see Izaya standing there, big smirk on his face. "What are you doing here?! Go away!"

"Now, that's mean, Rio—"

"Don't talk to me about being mean! You're the mean one! How could you?! I trusted you!"

His smirk left him and was returned with a bored frown, "You should know not to trust people so easily. Your father should be a big example. Isn't he cheating on your mom? Didn't you show her the pictures? What did she do, hm? She just acted as though nothing changed, didn't she? You lost all trust you had in them there, didn't you?"

"How did you know about that? I only told Nakura—" Her eyes went even more wide, if possible. "You're the one who sent those pictures! Weren't you?! You're Nakura too, aren't you?!"

"Yes, Ms. Magenta. That was all me. See? You can be smart when you try." He moved over to her and grabbed her hand, "So, tell me. Are you ready to jump? A jump from this height will be death for sure. Just look."

She looked down to the ground and whimpered a little. "Oh, of course I know you can't do it. No need to try and act all brave. "

"I _can_ do it! I _will_ do it!" She shoved him away and took a closer step towards the edge, gulping.

Izaya laughed and laughed, "Show me then! Jump! If you can, that is. You know, I do wonder how your parents will feel. After they learn all of this. How do you think they'll feel?"

Rio frowned, trying not to think about how devastated her parents would be. Then again, she didn't even know if they really did care about her. Izaya made all of her beliefs until now wither away.

When Izaya got no response from her, he started to get bored. With a sigh, he moved away from her, starting to leave. "Well, I'm bored now. So, I'm just going to head out. See you around, since you won't jump."

Rio watched him go, hate in her eyes. She wanted to prove him wrong so bad. So, she did the only thing she could think of.

She jumped.

She didn't scream. She didn't see her life flash before her eyes like people said you did when you were about to die. Even if she did, she knew it would be a sad pathetic life. She awaited the impact with the hard cemented ground, but was surprised when she didn't hit the ground. Instead, she hit another body, and went toppling to the ground, earning an oof from the other. She moved off of her savior, feeling dizzy.

"Are you okay?" She read the message that was instantly put in front of her face.

Nodding, she looked up at the person who saved her life. It was a woman, a pretty woman Rio learned when she took off her yellow cat-like helmet. "The name is Celty. Sturluson Celty. I'm guessing you're Kamichika Rio?"

Rio nodded, trying to form coherent sentences to the best of her ability. "How did you know?"

Scratching her cheek awkwardly, she quickly erased her message and wrote a new one. "I sorta know Izaya and learned it from him. He was the one who told me that you'd come here and try to jump. He instructed me to save you."

Her eyes widened, not believing it for a second. "He…He told you to save me? B-But he—"

"He really did. I heard what happened and I'm sorry about that. Izaya can be a big douche sometimes. From now on, I'd recommend you stay away from him. If you see him, run. That's what I would do."

"Ms. Celty—"

"Just call me Celty."

Nodding, she continued her earlier statement. "Right, anyways. Celty, when you see Izaya again. Tell him to go to hell and give him a good punch for me, o…kay?" With that, she passed out, the dizziness being too much for her body and consciousness to handle.

After that, she assumed Celty carried her to the hospital for when she woke up, she was lying in a hospital bed, dressed in a hospital gown, with her parents crying beside her. "Mom… Dad…"

When they heard her voice, they jumped and called for the doctor. "Ah, you're awake. How are you feeling? You gave us all a bit of a scare. It seems that car hit you pretty hard, huh?"

She tilted her head to the side, confused. "…Car?"

"Oh dear. You don't remember? You were walking home from school when a car hit you. We should probably check to make sure nothing in your brain was messed up."

"…Oh." She didn't correct the doctor about how she jumped off a building, and wasn't hit by a car. She assumed that Celty had told them that for a reason and wouldn't make things worse.

Later that night, she had gotten a text from Nakura – or Izaya in this case. "I hear you're feeling better. That's good! Hope to see you around sometime, Ms. Magenta~!"

She deleted Izaya from her contacts and snapped her phone in half, tossing it into the trash can nearby. She released a sigh, before going off into a peaceful slumber.

After she had gotten out of the hospital, she moved schools and continued life like nothing had happened. Soon, she then applied for Raira and was later told that she was allowed in. On her first day, she ran into Celty again and the two had a nice long chat. After that, she ran into Izaya.

"Ah, Rio. What a pleasant surprise. It's good to hear that you were allowed in. I look forward to spending the year with you."

She merely walked away, ignoring the older male. He didn't bother her after that and she didn't bother him. She didn't associate with him until a month or two afterwards. That's when she started clinging to him a lot. Ready to set her plan into action.

She realized after awhile, that she wouldn't be able to follow her plan through. She was too fond of the male to do that, and it pissed her off. So she searched and searched for someone to help her.

Then Kida Masaomi came into her life and she knew she had found the right person.

_Maybe this time I can get him back…_

**Extra**

While Mika blabbered on about how much she loved this Seiji person and how much he loved her, in the next class a few doors over. A brunette male sneezed a few times, rubbing his nose he frowned. "Seiji? You're not coming down with a cold, are you?"

Shaking his head, he sniffled and looked up at his older sister. "Nah, I'm fine. Must be allergies." _Or Mika is talking about me again…. That girl sometimes I swear._

"Alright, if you don't feel well, just let your beautiful older sister know and she'll take care of it, alright?" He nodded and the male sitting beside his sister, Orihara Izaya, snorted. She in return sent a glare his way, "What are you snorting about, Orihara Izaya?"

"You call yourself pretty! Hah! Pretty in what sense? Uh-oh." He dodged a slap meant for his face with ease, stupid smirk still on his face.

"I long for the day you die."

"Sis, that's rude." _Even if it is true…_

Turning her attention back to her kid brother, she nodded. "Ah, yes. I'm sorry Seiji." _Why are you apologizing to me? _

He nodded and got back to work, but not before sneezing a couple more times and having his older sister fuss all over him. He loved her and all, but sometimes she got on his nerves.

_Sis, please stop babying me…Just go back to arguing with Izaya or something._

* * *

**The 'Oh my dudeness' quote was brought in thanks to my brother. He used it one day and I immediately liked it. I knew he was so related to me after that. XD **

**Anyways, we get more of Rio's point of view and her past in this chapter. I was originally planning to make her one of the villian's but was like, nah, she's too nice so we get this instead. It came out kind of weird though...**

**Review, review, and review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**For my future plans, this FF is currently taking place in the end of October. Masaomi's first week is the week leading up to Halloween. So, just keep that in mind. Oh, if you didn't already, check out that chapter I posted on Wednesday! I promised y'all an extra chapter this week since I was on break and I gave it to ya! Surprising, huh? Okay, a big thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and or followed my story! I appreciate everything you guys do!**

**Oh, yeah. I posted this chapter a day early, so yeah. This is supposed to be tomorrow's update. I didn't know if I would have time to update tomorrow so here it is.**

**IMPORTANT: Do the line breaks really _not_ show up?!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing mention in this story belongs to me, everything belongs to their respective owners. **

* * *

Chapter 14

An Interesting Detention.

Masaomi stretched, giving out a satisfied sigh when his back made a popping sound. He looked back over towards the bickering duo. His literature teacher, Sloan and one of his fellow classmates, Vorona had started arguing. Again.

They seemed to like bickering back and forth. Vorona would even go as far as interrupting him while he was teaching to tell him that he pronounced something wrong or whatnot. He continued to sit there, small grin on his face while watching them. It reminded him of old times.

Vorona seemed to have noticed him grinning at them for she walked over to him and slammed her hands on the desk in front of him, quizzical brow raised. "Apprise me. What is so comical that you find it in yourself to grin? Does our quarrel amuse you? Are you pleased?"

Masaomi blinked, startled at the sudden approach of the raging blonde Russian. "No?"

"You sound unsure of yourself. Your response sounded more so like a question."

"I didn't mean to offend you or anything. It's just that watching you and Mr. Sloan bicker back and forth brought back old memories. It made me feel nostalgic." He responded, small genuine smile on his face.

Vorona seemed confused now, but gave a nod of confirmation. "I see. Our quarrel attracted old memories therefore causing you to feel nostalgic. Affirmative?"

Masaomi nodded, "Affirmative."

Vorona turned to her side, leaning against the table with her hip, gripping her chin in thought. Her gaze flickered back to Masaomi after a while of staring at the ground. "What's your name?"

Masaomi was confused at the sudden question; he thought he wasn't significant to her, so he assumed that she'd never ask, not bothering too. "Masaomi. Kida Masaomi. It's nice to meet you…?" He trailed off and motioned for her name.

"I assume you're asking for my name in return. Affirmative?" Without even waiting for him to respond, she continued. "The name is Vorona. Vorona Douglanikov. Let's hope our acquaintanceship isn't a mistake and leads to great things." She extended her hand for the male to shake and he did so. They gave a few firm shakes before Vorona flipped him over the table and down on to the floor on her side.

He gasped at the sudden pain that hit his back, coughing a bit of his spit. "What the hell?!"

Vorona looked at him with a neutral face, "Ah, forgive me, new friend. I had wanted to see for myself how strong you were. I have to say I'm disappointed. Look, you have no muscle." She poked his arm and stomach to make a point.

Sitting up, Masaomi rubbed his head. "No muscle? Looks at these guns!" He flexed his arms to show her his supposed muscles.

"Guns? I see no guns. If it is weapons you'd like to fight with," She pulled out two guns from inside her shirt, "then so be it!" She pointed her gun in his face and pulled back the safety, sending her glare his way.

He put his hands up in a surrender motion, showing her he meant no harm. "No, that's not what I meant! It's an expression! When I said, look at these guns. I basically meant, look at these muscles. So, put your guns away."

Vorona looked at him pensively, "I don't understand. Put my muscles away? How do I do that?"

Masaomi face palmed, for being such a beauty, she sure was clueless. "That's not what I meant. I meant, literally put your guns away – put your weapons away."

Vorona's frowned deepened, "You had just said that the phrase, look at these guns, was an expression for, look at these muscles. Now, you're saying that you want me to literally put my guns away, that it's not an expression. Unfortunately, I'm confused."

Thinking it over again, hoping that she'd understand, she let out a gasp and reappointed her guns at the male. "Is this your hidden tactic? To confuse me and then take me out? Damn, I can't believe I almost fell for it. You shall pay for attempting to take me out with your life!" She opened fire on the blonde who yelped in surprise and rolled out of the way.

"Damn, you're not as bad as I presumed. Although, you're no match for me, a highly trained assassin!" She opened fire on the male again, her determination to kill him increasing by the millisecond.

Masaomi was able to get out of the way of her every bullet without getting wounded, he got a scratch across his cheek, but he ignored the stinging sensation in return for his life was more important. "Vorona! Wait, let's talk this out!"

"Negative. I refuse to be fooled by the likes of you." Vorona reloaded her guns at the speed of light, shocking everyone in the room, except for Sloan. She then continued her assault on the blonde male who was jumping from table to table in hopes of avoiding her fury and bullets.

"I wasn't trying to confuse you and then take you out, I swear! Let me just explain better!" Vorona didn't listen to him; she just continued her attacks, brows furrowed in concentration. When her next few bullets missed her target again, she cursed. "0.002 centimeters away from designated target. Change position and then resume attack."

She hopped onto Sloan's desk and aimed her gun before opening fire, narrowly missing the hopping blonde once again.

After Sloan had huddled everyone into a safe corner and instructed them to not get involved in the fight, he turned to Vorona and began his attempt to calm her down. "Vorona, relax. I'm positive the kid meant no harm. Just give him a chance to explain himself. If it turns out he was in fact trying to kill you, then go ahead and kill him. I'll even help."

Vorona thought over what Sloan said, before lowering her guns down, but kept her guard up. "Fine. Go on. Explain yourself. One wrong move and I'll shoot you down without mercy."

Masaomi nodded, taking a deep breath and thinking over how he should word everything, before he actually started and made a mistake, resulting in his death. "You see, I had told you that the phrase, look at these guns, was just an expression of saying, look at these muscles. Remember that?"

Vorona nodded, "Affirmative."

"That was true. Ask anyone, it truly is an expression. Now—" He stopped when Vorona put her hand up to silence him, before turning around to face the huddled group of her classmates, pointing her gun at them instead. "Someone, I don't care who, apprise me. Is what he's currently said, true?"

Rocchi tilted his hat in a small greeting to her, letting her know that he was going to respond. "My dear, Vorona. As you know it, it is. What the boy says is true."

Vorona glared at Rocchi for a few seconds more, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth or not. When she deemed it that he was in fact, telling the truth, she turned back towards the blonde warily standing on the table. "Go on."

Nodding, and making a mental note to thank Rocchi later on, he continued. "Now, after I said that. You thought, I had meant that I literally wanted to fight you with guns, but I didn't. I then told you to put the weapons that you brought out away. Your weapon choice just so happened to be a gun. So, I had said to put your guns away. I didn't mean put your muscles away, 'cause now that's just weird."

"I see. If that was what you had meant all along, why not simply say put your Tokarev pistol away? It would've avoided any confusion." She recapped the safety and then carefully placed her gun back down her shirt in her holster.

Masaomi gave her an, _are you serious right now_ look, which she glared at him for. "What is that look about?"

"Nothing! Anyways, I didn't say that because I'm not that knowledgeable in the different gun types, so I didn't know which type you carried. I'll try and remember that for next time."

"It's useless. There's a 99.000000099% chance that I won't be caring this gun next time. Especially now that several others know what type it is. It'd make it easier for others to take me out. You really do know nothing."

"I told ya, didn't I?" Masaomi sighed; glad that he would live for a bit longer.

"Every day after school."

Masaomi blinked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

Vorona looked annoyed, "Every day after school, I'll teach you about the different types of guns. Don't even bother arguing. All attempts will be promptly ignored."

Masaomi looked beyond surprised at this moment, "But—why?"

Vorona crossed her arms over her chest, making a small, hmph, sound. "You're a formidable opponent. With my guidance, I'm positive that your progress to becoming a full fledged assassin could increase big time."

"I don't intend to become an assassin when I'm older though, so the knowledge would be useless." Masaomi continued to argue, not really up for this _training_.

"Even so, it's capable of helping you in several situations. You _will_ learn and _succeed._ Affirmative?"

"…Affirmative."

She gave a nod of approval, "Today after school meet me at the school gates—"

"I can't."

She raised her left brow, annoyance at being interrupted clear in her voice and expression. _Huh, this must be how Sloan feels when I interrupt him every single time he makes a mistake…_ "Why not?"

"I have afterschool detention today." He sheepishly scratched his cheek.

"No matter, you can still meet me afterwards. What time does your punishment end?" Vorona sat down on top of Sloan's desk, crossing her legs.

"Uh, I don't really know. It depends on how fast we can get it done…"

"We?"

He sighed; Vorona asked way too many questions. "Yeah, my detention partner and I. If he shows up that is…"

Vorona contemplated her options, before heaving out a sigh. "I'll stay behind and offer my assistance. Afterwards, we'll head home and get started. No complaints."

Masaomi groaned, this was just what he wanted. Not. "Yeah, yeah…" He grumbled, earning another nod of approval from Vorona.

Sloan took this time to make his way over, "I apologize for not introducing myself to you yesterday. I'm Sloan." Much like Vorona had done mere seconds ago, Sloan extended his hand for Masaomi to shake, which the blonde looked at nervously. He really didn't want to go through _that _again.

Sloan must have noticed Masaomi's nervousness, for he chuckled and gave a reassuring smile. "Relax. I won't do to you what Vorona did."

Masaomi gulped, but took his word for it. He extended his hand and shook Sloan's hand, giving a few firm shakes before retracting his hand, letting out a sigh of relief when Sloan didn't slam him down onto the ground.

Sloan turned back to look at Vorona with a glare, "Vorona. How many times have I told you not to bring out your weapons when you're at school?!" Vorona gave a careless shrug, twirling a piece of her light blonde hair around her finger.

"That is unknown information." Sloan rolled his eyes, "Just don't do it again."

"No promises."

Masaomi ignored the duo and made his way off the table, but he stepped on a spare bullet shell, – how it got there he didn't know – causing him to slip forward. _What luck I have today, huh?_

"Wow there, careful now. Damaging your face would ruin your chance of picking up the woman." Masaomi looked up to see Rocchi, grinning at him after catching the falling blonde. "Did you fall for my looks?"

Masaomi spluttered, "What the hell?! No! I slipped on a bullet shell." Pushing Rocchi away, he stepped away, pouting, causing the older male to laugh. "Oh, before I forget. I've been meaning to thank you, Rocchi."

"Thank me? For what? If it was for catching you, don't worry about it."

He shook his head, "There's that, but no. It's not what I meant. I meant for helping me earlier with Vorona. You told her what I said was true, so…"

"Well, it was true. Why wouldn't I say so?"

"You could've been someone who said that it wasn't true just to see me suffer."

"Fair enough. Again, don't worry about it. If I had lied, Non would get pissed and kick my ass." Rocchi chuckled at the mere thought of his girlfriend.

Masaomi nodded then turned to see Vorona approaching him once again, he immediately got all defensive. "About what you had said earlier, about you having muscles. I don't see any. All I see are noodles for arms and nothing but fat on your stomach."

Masaomi scoffed, "Excuse you, look at these gu—muscles. Look at these muscles." Masaomi took of his sweater, revealing a muscle shirt underneath. He showed her his arms and lifted his shirt to show her his pack of muscles. "What do you think now?"

"You need more muscle." With that, she walked away, causing the blonde to pout and put his sweater back on. "_You need more muscle._" He repeated in a girly voice, and then stuck his tongue out at her.

Everyone laughed at his antics, but didn't comment on it. Masaomi's friends came wandering over to him to tease him about his near-death experience, much to Masaomi's disappointment.

_Why does life hate me so?_

* * *

Soon, the bell rang, signaling the end of the period, much to Masaomi's relief. He didn't think he could stand anymore teasing as well as sudden questions from Vorona. Though, much to his disappointment, next period was his last period. Why does that suck – you ask? Yesterday's events during last period weren't the best. He really didn't want to head back in there, for fear of how everyone will treat him. Everything has seemed fine up until now, but who really knows?

He made his way towards Shingen's classroom, unease in his every step. Once he came to the door, he sucked in a breath and hesitantly opened it, entering the now hushed room. All eyes were on him, much to his displeasure. He had to resist the urge to walk right back out.

Suddenly, Aoba entered the room from behind him and started to drag him to a table where Neko was sitting, bored as hell. His attention spiked when he saw them enter and sit down beside him, but he was still bored nonetheless.

Soon after they sat down, Izaya came running in, small smirk on his face – followed by his name being shouted at the top of someone's lungs. Izaya ran behind the blonde, much like what had happened during first period. Masaomi came to the sudden realization what was happening immediately, "Oh hell no. I am _not_ being your shield _again_. Just go and die already."

Izaya waved him off, "Shh, just wait."

When Shizuo ran in, he was steaming – not literally – in anger. Masaomi sent a smirk Izaya's way, before telling Aoba, Neko, and anyone else who was at the table to move, and shouting towards the fuming older blonde. "Hey Shizuo!"

Shizuo turned to look at who had called him, glare still in place. When he came upon the sight of Masaomi, he remembered what Kasuka had told him and his glare softened, very slightly. "What?!"

"Izaya is right here. He's all yours. Here. I hold him." Masaomi latched himself onto the said male, "Kida-kun. Are you turning on me?"

"I hate you remember? This is natural." Masaomi said with a straight, uncaring, bored face.

"I thought—"

Izaya was cut off by Shizuo grabbing his front and shaking him, "Izzzzaaaaayyyyyaaaa! You can't escape now, you bastard."

"No need to yell. I'm right here."

"Shut up!"

"Ah, Shizu-chan, where are your manners? It's rude to interrupt someone's conversation as well as curse at someone."

"Don't talk to me about what's rude and not rude, ya damn flea!"

While they bickered, Masaomi moved over to where Aoba and the others had sat themselves down, to watch the show.

Shingen came in right about now, "Ehem, boys. Don't fight. Or else."

Shizuo turned his glare onto Shingen, "Or else what?!"

Shingen jumped in alarm, but cleared his throat and continued. "Or else neither of you will be able to participate in our school's most popular event, the Fall Festival. I know how much both of you have been looking forward to that."

Shizuo bit his bottom lip in thought, while Izaya did the same. Shizuo dropped Izaya and moved to sit down beside his younger brother, Kasuka – grumbling all the while. Izaya straightened his clothes and moved to sit down with Saki and her friends.

"This goes for everybody. The principal and I spoke about your behavior yesterday – not just Izaya and Masaomi's. You are all in trouble and one wrong move will result in you not being allowed to participate in the festival. It's not in just my class; it's in all of your classes. You all want to join in on it, don't you? So, no fighting."

Everyone grumbled their understandings, even Aoba and Neko.

Masaomi furrowed his brows in confusion. _Why are they looking so forward to the Fall Festival? It's just another school event isn't it? I'll just have to ask Mikado later or something. At least it'll grant me some piece in this class - and all my classes for that matter. For now…_

* * *

After the earlier fiasco that had all possible chances of fights breaking out silenced, everyone got back to work, like a normal classroom. There was no awkward silence or tension in the air, much to _everyone's _relief.

Last period went by in a blur, no one had realized how fast that much time had passed, but everyone was happy to go home therefore no complaints.

Masaomi walked over to Mikado, sheepish grin on his face. "I'll have to see you later, Mikado. Since, you know, I have afterschool today."

Mikado looked at him, unimpressed, before nodding and giving Masaomi a sympathetic smile. "Have fun with afterschool detention."

"Thanks, Mikado. I sure will." Masaomi replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. This emitted a laugh from Masaomi's childhood best friend.

"Well, I'd better head over before I get in more trouble." Masaomi gave Mikado a small wave before he started walking off to science class, to clean up all those organs and whatnot.

Masaomi shoved his hands in his pockets while he walked at a slow normal pace. His ears picked up on an extra pair of footsteps, but discarded it as someone heading in the same way as him. He made several turns instead of heading directly towards the science room to see if he really was being followed.

He was.

_Maybe it's Izaya? But it sounds too light to be Izaya, not that he's fat or anything. It just sounds more like a girl's footsteps. I can tell by the pace and sound their shoes are making. It sounds like their shoes have a small heel, but then again. A guy's shoes can too—you know what? Screw it! I'm just going to confront whoever it is. _

Masaomi turned around, annoyed expression on his face. "Okay, who the hell is it? Who's following me? Why, might I ask?"

There was no response for a minute or two until Vorona walked out from the corner, giving an approving nod. "You could tell, well done."

Masaomi sighed, "It's just you. Thank God. I was worried it might be one of Izaya's many fans intending to attack me or something."

"I don't have to be his fan in order to attack you, must I?" Masaomi shook his head, "Nah, you attack me whenever you want. Nothing someone says will stop you."

"Touché."

"So, why are you following me again?" Masaomi asked, eyebrow raised.

"If I remember correctly, I had apprised you that I'd offer my assistance so that we could quickly get to work on your studies." Masaomi groaned at the mere reminder.

"Ugh, fine. Whatever. Let's go." Vorona nodded and followed the blonde to the science classroom.

Upon arrival, Vorona stared at the door, confused. "Why are we here? If memory serves me right, we're not allowed to set foot in here until further notice."

Masaomi sent her a grin, "You're about to see why."

He opened the door without awaiting her response and entered, Vorona following him inside. When she entered the room, her eyes widened slightly. There was a mess everywhere. Desks were turned on their side like shields, chairs were strewn all over the rooms upside down, papers were all over the floor, and the most noticeable thing was the endless supply of organs all over the place.

"What on Earth happened here?"

Masaomi awkwardly chuckled from beside her, "A lot."

"Oh? We have company?" Masaomi and Vorona turned to see Izaya enter with a small grin on his face, Vorona instantly got into a fighting stance. "Why are you here, Orihara Izaya?"

"I should be asking _you_ that."

Vorona threw a punch at Izaya which he caught before it made contact, "Don't you remember Shingen's words, Vo-ro-na~?" He drawled every syllable of her name out.

"I care not about what that fool said. What's more important to me is taking out Shizuo-senpai's enemy."

"Ah, I see that he's managed to tame the beast. Funny how he can tame your beasts, but not his own."

Vorona just glared at the male, "Don't talk about him like _that_."

"Like _what?_ I'm talking about him normally."

"Ahem, sorry to interrupt, but I really want to head home so mind helping me clean up this mess like originally planned? You guys can fight afterwards." Masaomi interrupted, not wanting to be in the same room as them for much longer – not to mention he was tired.

"Affirmative."

"Sure thing, Kida-kun."

The three of them then got to work for a good ten minutes before Izaya found it in himself to interrupt the current piece. "So, Vorona. Tell me again why you're here. I don't recall hearing that you were told to help us."

"I have no need to inform you."

"Hm, rude. Kida-kun, tell me. Why is she here?"

"Like hell I would tell you." He spat back at the older.

"Siding with the devil, I see."

Vorona clenched her fists, before standing up and throwing an organ at Izaya, who dodged it. "Another organ fight? Good lord." Izaya said while running around the room to dodge the organ pieces that were being thrown at him.

Masaomi watched the two of them, an annoyed sigh escaping his lips. Just then, Kadota entered the room and was met with a face full of organs. This caused both Vorona and Izaya to stop fighting – more like for Vorona to stop her attack therefore causing Izaya to stop running.

"Izaya. Vorona. What is the meaning of this?"

They pointed to each other and immediately said, "She started it," and "He started it."

Kadota pinched his nose in annoyance before turning to look at Masaomi – the only one who was doing as instructed. Masaomi shook his head and let out another sigh. "First of all, Vorona, why are you here?"

"I offered to help Kida Masaomi with his detention, that way he could finish faster and accompany me later." Kadota's gaze flickered back to Masaomi when said male groaned in annoyance.

"Alright, now Izaya. Why were you and Vorona fighting?"

Izaya gave a nonchalant shrug, "I was merely having a calm conversation with her and Kida-kun when she got all angry and threw an organ in my face. I managed to dodge mind you. After that, she started throwing more and more—"

"You lying flea! Your accusations are false!" She gritted her teeth, fists clenching at her sides.

"Ahh, you even picked up on Shizu-chan's nicknames. Lovely."

"Why you—"

"Alright, you guys that's enough!" Kadota yelled at the two bickering teenagers, who instantly shut up once Kadota yelled at them. "Vorona, if you say that what Izaya says is false, then tell me what happened."

"He kept insulting Shizuo-senpai and I. As responsible as I am, I ignored his petty insults the first couple of times, but when he called me a devil. I lost it. I had thought, what right does that damned flea have to insult us like this? I then took action."

Kadota sighed, they were starting to give him a headache, "Masaomi, what happened?"

Masaomi jumped, startled that he would be asked what happened when he really had nothing to do with their fight – now that he thought about it, asking him would be a sensible course of action. Standing up from the chair he comfortably sat himself down in once they started to bicker in front of Kadota again 'cause he sure as hell wasn't going to clean up all the mess by himself, he walked on over to where the three of them stood.

"Izaya had walked in and started messing with Vorona; he seemed intent on pissing her off. I tried to stop them, but it didn't really work."

"See? I was corre—" Vorona started.

"But. Vorona started messing with Izaya as well. She insulted him just as much as Izaya insulted her. Izaya did insult her more though."

"I knew you'd come arou—" Izaya then started.

"So, I'd say that if you were to blame somebody. You'd have to blame both of them. They were both as responsible as the other."

Kadota nodded in understanding, "Alright. I'm just glad that you stayed out of the fight and even tried to stop them. You seem to be telling the whole truth too. When I had asked Izaya and Vorona, I got this sense that something was missing."

Masaomi gave a grunt of agreement, before Kadota continued. "Anyways, I came in here to see how your progress was doing and to see if you guys' actually showed up. I have to say I'm disappointed in you, Izaya. Starting another fight. You never learn, do you? Speaking of which, I heard from Shingen that you were fighting with Shizuo again."

Izaya frowned, but shrugged, "And? I never promised you that I wouldn't fight with him; I just said that I'd _try. _Did I not?"

Kadota nodded, "Yeah, you did, but I'm still disappointed. Now, as for you, Vorona. I heard you used your weapons again in school. I told you that I'd allow you to bring weapons with you to school if you didn't use them. I'm going to confiscate them right now. Hand 'em over."

Vorona pouted like a child getting their favorite toy taken from them before handing over her guns, muttering a small apology.

"Listen you two, what Shingen told you earlier is true. If you get in trouble, you won't participate in the Fall Festival. Right now, Vorona your on you first warning. Izaya, you're on your second. Masaomi, you're good for now. Three warnings will get you off the participant list. Everyone understand?"

The three nodded in confirmation, which resulted in Kadota nodding in approval.

"This reminds me, Masaomi. Do you know about the Fall Festival yet?" Kadota asked, curiously. Sure, there was the possibility of Masaomi learning from the other students, but Kadota had to be sure.

Masaomi shook his head, "All I know is that it's a festival in the fall."

Kadota gave a chuckle at the blonde's humor, "It's—" Kadota began to explain, but was interrupted by the intercom in the room going off. "Uh, Dota-chin? Mind heading back to the office now. I kinda need your help." Sighing, Kadota turned to talk to the speaker of the intercom, "Yeah, I'll head back over right now!"

"Thanks!"

Kadota turned his attention back towards Masaomi, looking at him apologetically. "Sorry kid. Have Mikado or one of these two explain it to you. I'd recommend having Mikado do it though."

"That's what I was planning on doing."

Kadota gave a nod before exiting the room, leaving the three of them to themselves.

"Why don't you want to ask one of us, Kida-kun?" Izaya curiously questioned.

"Because it's you guys. Duh. Now help me finish up here. I want to head home. Oh, speaking of which. Vorona, I think I'm going to cancel are later activities today, okay?" Masaomi sent her a pleading look.

"Fine. If that's the case, then I'm leaving. Have fun, you two."

"Later activities? I didn't know people like Vorona were your type, Kida-kun."

"What the hell?! No! That's not what we were going to do! You idiot!" Masaomi made a look of disgust, sometimes Izaya could be a real idiot.

"Oh? Then what were you two going to do, hm?"

"She was going to teach me some stuff."

"Sounds naughty."

Masaomi went to smack Izaya, but the ravenette dodged, laughing all the while. "I was just joking! I know you couldn't possibly fall for anyone besides me."

Masaomi glared, "As if! I'd rather date Vorona than you!"

Izaya pouted, but then grinned mischievously. "Ahh, I see. You like the feisty types, eh?"

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Izaya?"

"Nothing, nothing. I'm just making observations."

"Sure, whatever. Let's just finish up here."

"Yes, my little lord." Masaomi just rolled his eyes before going back to clean up the mess, Izaya soon following suit.

They spent another two hours in silence, cleaning up the mess that had been made. They made small chitchat; mainly talking about who cleaned what side and were they should throw all the organs. Their conversations for those two hours mainly consisted of stuff related to what it was they had to do, refusing to talk about anything else.

Soon, everything was spotless and they were getting ready to head home. They visited Kadota telling him that everything was done, before heading out.

"Kida-kun, mind if I walk with you? We're heading in the same direction anyways." Izaya asked Masaomi, his hands in his pockets.

Masaomi looked behind him at Izaya with a torn expression, before finally giving in and nodding. "Sure, why not?"

Izaya grinned and followed Masaomi with a newfound skip in his step. "So, Kida-kun, are you still angry with me?"

"Yes." Was the blonde's immediate answer.

Izaya pouted, but continued nonetheless. "What can I do to make you forgive me?"

Masaomi's eyes widened in shock and whirled around to face Izaya, disbelief on his face. He couldn't have heard wrong, but he had to make sure. "Wait, what?"

"I said, what can I do to make you forgive me?"

_Yeah, I heard him correctly, alright. _"…Why do you want my forgiveness?"

"It's fun having you hate me and all, but it's more fun having you as my friend." That was partly the truth, Izaya was hiding much more and Masaomi knew it.

"…I—"

"Hey, Kuru-nee, look! It's Weirdo!" Masaomi turned around to look at the noise, thinking about how that cheerful noise sounded familiar. At the voice, Izaya paled and clicked his tongue.

"Mairu! Kururi! It's nice to see you again!" Masaomi greeted, but then frowned. "My name is Masaomi, not Weirdo. How many times do I have to tell you two?"

Mairu and Kururi giggled before shrugging, they must have finally noticed Izaya standing behind the blonde for they looked behind the blonde and frowned. "Iza-nii? What are you doing here?" Mairu asked.

"Oh, so now you notice me. It's rude, not saying hi you know. Just so you know, I was here first."

Masaomi blinked, _did she just say…?_ "Wait a sec, _Iza-nii_?! _You're _there older brother?!"

Izaya, much like Masaomi did previously, blinked. "Why yes, that would be me. Unfortunately. I see Mairu and Kururi have talked about me. Good things I hope."

Mairu and Kururi stuck there tongue out at their older brother, both of them carrying equally mischievous looks. "I just can't—Are you serious?!"

Izaya nodded and moved over to ruffle the blonde's hair, "Yes, I, Orihara Izaya, am the older brother of both Mairu and Kururi Orihara."

Masaomi slapped Izaya's hand away and fixed his hair, before turning to look at the three Orihara siblings in disbelief. "I still can't believe it."

Mairu and Kururi giggled at the blonde before latching themselves on to both of Masaomi's arms, Mairu on his right and Kururi on his left. "Yup, Iza-nii is the big brother we told you about, unfortunately. "

Masaomi shook his head, "Just wow. I thought your names were familiar."

Mairu and Kururi blinked, "Does Iza-nii talk about us?" The usually quiet Kururi asked, both twins looking towards their older brother for confirmation, who shook his head. "As if."

"No, it wasn't that idiot." They giggled at this. "It was Mikado. He was telling me to be quiet 'cause I would wake ya guys up."

"Oooh, Ryugamine. That makes sense." Mairu drawled out the 'oh' in her sentence.

"Ahem, someone mind informing about how the three of you met?" Izaya interrupted, finally getting fed up with the situation. He was _this close_ to figuring out how to squirm his way back into Masaomi's trust, but then _they_ had to interrupt. God, he hated his sisters.

"Weirdo met Kuru-nee and I when we were heading home. We got to know each other for a bit and played in the park. Speaking of which,"

"Why didn't you text us?" Kururi ended her sister's thought.

Masaomi sheepishly shrugged, "Sorry guys. I was playing video games with Mikado and we kinda lost track of time. "

Mairu and Kururi nodded in understanding, "We want to play video games with you too! Can we come over today?"

"Sure, if it's okay with Mik—"

"_Absolutely not." _Izaya responded, his words full of anger.

Mairu, Kururi, and Masaomi turned to look at Izaya, shocked. "Why not, Iza-nii?"

"Because I said so, and my words are absolute."

Masaomi scoffed, "Absolute my ass. Why can't they come? It's fine with me and I'm sure that Mikado won't mind."

"I said they can't and so therefore, they can't. Don't argue with me, Kida-kun. You _know _it _never_ ends well."

Masaomi glared, "They can do whatever they want. You don't have the right to boss them around!"

"I'm their older brother; therefore I _do_ have the right."

"But—"

"It's okay, Masaomi. We don't mind, right Kuru-nee?"

"Mhm."

Masaomi turned to look at them, shock evident on his face. "Are you sure?" When they both nodded, he sighed and grumbled a small fine. They squeezed his arm, "Thanks for defending us, Masaomi." Kururi thanked him and leaned up to peck him on the cheek, while Mairu did the same. This only accomplished annoying Izaya more, but he merely ignored them.

"Don't you girls have practice today?"

"It was cancelled." Mairu cheerfully replied.

Izaya frowned, "Just know I'm not going to be home until late then."

The twins nodded and simultaneously said, "Okay!"

"I have to get going now, see you later, Kida-kun." Izaya then walked off in the opposite direction.

"He just doesn't want to be home with us."

"Mhm."

"Well, let's go play those video games, girls."

"Yeah, lets!" They simultaneously said once again.

_That was…interesting._

* * *

**I don't know if I did Vorona so well, but meh. Who really cares? As long as she got some scenes I'm happy. Same with Rocchi. C: If you couldn't tell, we should be seeing her more often too. I adore her and wanted to bring her in some more. I just really want to get the characters who don't get a lot of attention in. As you could see, how I did with Neko. Oh, and yeah, you can communicate through the intercom. My teachers do it all the time.**

**On a completely different topic, has anyone ever been to Fear Farm before? I'm not sure if other places besides my home area have it, but i'm curious. I had went with a friend of mine on Friday and it was a blast. Didn't get scared though, but I sure as hell got lost in the corn maze. XD It sure got me in the Halloween spirit too! I can't wait until Halloween. C: **

**IMPORTANT: Do the line breaks really _not _show up?!**

**Don't be too scared to leave a review! It'll boost my motivation you know! **


	15. Chapter 15

**I missed last weeks update day for two reasons. One, our power went out because of this big ol' thunderstorm therefore I was busy admiring the weather. Two, I had to work on this school essay of mine so didn't get a chance to write this. You guys got a longer chapter today though, so I hope that makes up for it?**

**Ignore the terrible writing. I felt like I had to give you guys _something_. This was that something. So, enjoy? Oh, and new line breaks - since the other ones seem to not be showing up for some odd annoying reason. **

**Disclaimer: Nothing mentioned belongs to me, everything belongs to their respective owners.**

* * *

Chapter 15

Preparation for the Fall Festival!

"Ah, shit not again! Mairu, quit playing dirty! I demand a rematch!"

"Stop being such a sore loser, Mr. Weirdo."

"Mairu-nee won fairly."

"Fairly, my ass—"

"Masaomi! Stop cursing in front of the girls!"

"Why, Mikado? They curse too!"

"Just stop!"

Masaomi pouted in annoyance, which only seemed to deepen when the Orihara twins stuck their tongues out at him playfully. He couldn't believe that he kept losing to two middle school girls. He swore on the Alien King's life that they somehow rigged the game when he wasn't looking. Since there's absolutely no way they could possibly be getting all the good stuff every single damn time.

Mikado, being as observant as he was, noticed the distress and annoyance that his best friend was going through and paused the game, offering Masaomi a sympathetic smile. "How about we all take a little break and get ourselves a snack?"

The twins shared a look of pure smugness before nodding their heads in agreement and moving on over to the kitchen to raid the fridge, the two older boys following right behind them. After some arguing between the four of them—or more like between Masaomi and Mairu—they settled on getting some crackers with cheese as their snack before moving back to the living room to enjoy their treat.

"Hey, Weirdo! Quit hogging all the food!" Mairu complained, pulling the tray closer to her and Kururi.

"You stole my line, fatass!"

"Hey, I'm not fat!"

"Are you sure? I mean, have you seen how much you eat?"

"Kuru-nee! Tell him!"

"Mikado! Tell her!"

Mikado and Kururi shared a nervous look before scooting away from the two bickering teens, who at this point seemed more like children arguing over—whatever it was that they were arguing about.

Even though Mikado wanted to not get involved in the fight, he figured that since he was the most mature out of the group, he should do something. "Masaomi, isn't it your motto not to be rude to women?"

"Yeah, it is. Why do you bring it up now, Mikado?"

"Well, Mairu is a female and you're being quite rude to her, so… You're kind of breaking your own rule."

Masaomi spluttered in disbelief, "Wait a sec! You mean to tell me that _that_," he pointed an accusing finger towards Mairu, "is a woman?!"

Mairu pouted and smacked him on the arm, "What did you think I was all this time?!"

"A very feminine looking male. What do they call those again? Oh, that's right! Shota – I think… I thought you were a shota."

The two just stared at each other in utter silence before bursting into a fit of laughter. "You know I was joking about all that, right Mairu?" Masaomi questioned, finally over his laughing fit.

"Yeah, but I can't believe you said shota!" Mairu rolled around on the floor in laughter, finding the whole situation amusing.

Unknown to the two fools on the floor, Mikado and Kururi had restarted the game and were completely killing Masaomi and Mairu's characters that were stuck at last place. Once they realized, they scrambled to get their controller and join in.

"Kuru-nee, that was unfair!" Mairu complained, throwing herself onto her sister once she lost. Kururi looked at her with a neutral expression, trying to shove her sister off. "Get off." When Mairu refused, Kururi pulled out her pepper spray and sprayed her sister in the face. This caused Mairu to jump onto the ground and roll around, scratching at her face. "Ah! It burns! Kuru-nee, I'm sorry!"

Masaomi, who was sprawled out on top of Mikado much like Mairu had done to Kururi, looked between Kururi and Mikado warily. "You're not going to spray me with pepper spray, right Mikado?" Mikado nodded, sending Mairu a sympathetic look.

Lying in a heap on the floor with her arm over her eyes, Mairu spoke in a dead tone, drawling out the syllables of each word she spoke. "Weirdo, are you going to attend school tomorrow?"

Masaomi who was still situated on Mikado's back in an exhausted manner, raised a brow, confusion etched onto his face. "Of course I am. Tomorrow is barely Wednesday. Why wouldn't I? Has the pepper spray finally rotted your brain?" He didn't bother on correcting her when she addressed him. Trust me, he's tried and failed a number of ties.

"Eh? Mikado hasn't told you?" Mairu continued to talk in that same tone she used earlier, earning her a pillow being thrown rather harshly at her face by Kururi.

While that happened, Masaomi turned to face Mikado expectantly, who only chuckled in nervousness. "I actually forgot to tell you about that, Masaomi. Sorry… I guess it just slipped my mind with how busy I was."

The blonde just continued to have that confused look on his face, "Tell me about what?" He let out a gasp, "Don't tell me that they let you ditch school every Wednesday! That's sick! I'm so ditching every Wednesday from now on and nobody can stop me!"

Mikado elbowed the blonde in the stomach, halfheartedly, looking amused and unimpressed all at the same exact time. "No, but you're slightly close. You do remember people talking about the Fall Festival nonstop, right?" When Masaomi nodded, he continued. "Well, the school allows us two days without class to prepare for it – Wednesday and Thursday. Attending school those two days is highly optional. Same with Friday when the festival is scheduled actually."

Masaomi nodded again in understanding, but cocked his head to the side in curiosity. "Why's everyone so hyped for this festival thing anyways? It's just another festival, ain't it? Don't they do one every year?" The other three occupants of the room gave him a disbelieving look.

Mairu jumped up into his face, her eyes slightly red from the pepper spray. "Are you serious right now?! Kuru-nee, don't get too close or else his stupidity will transfer onto you!" The two girls backed away from him and huddled in a corner, sending him wary glances.

"Masaomi, I think the dye has finally gotten to your brain. Oh wait, what brain?" Mikado joined in on insulting him. Typical of that jerk…

"Hey! Remember, this is my first time here so I don't know about your freaky traditions and whatnot! Just hurry up and explain!" Masaomi pouted childishly.

Mikado let out a chuckle, before starting to explain to the best of his ability. "A big part of the Fall Festival is the costumes. Since it is right before Halloween, you get to dress up and compete against others in the Best Costume Contest. There are a bunch of people who really go at it. Who's a good example?"

"Iza-nii." Mairu and Kururi simultaneously say.

"Yeah, Izaya is a good example. Though, he usually has a better chance at winning since he has all those fans, you know? Who else really goes at it? Oh, Shizuo does. He's determined to beat Izaya. Neko and Aoba have been trying pretty hard lately too. Oh, then there's Erika and Walker. So far, Izaya has won every festival and there's a good chance he'll win this one. This _is_ Izaya we're talking about here."

Mairu and Kururi both nodded their head in agreement and even adding, "Everyone is super hyped this year because it's Iza-nii's last year too. They're normally excited to see him no matter what, so no doubt he'll win. Again."

Masaomi frowned, "That's it? Everyone is only excited because of Izaya? Are you serious?"

When the three nodded, Masaomi rolled his eyes before grinning. "Well, let's give them something else to be excited about then, yeah?"

The three others gave Masaomi looks of shock and disbelief, "Can you do it, Weirdo?!" Mairu shouted at him, while Kururi added on her own thoughts. "How?!"

Masaomi gave them reassuring smiles, "I'm not sure if I can, but I sure as hell can try, right? Besides, it'll be fun to try and make Izaya fail, don't you think?" The twins nodded in agreement, cheering the blonde on. "Weirdo, fiiiight!"

Mikado looked worried, but cheered the blonde on as well, curious as to how Masaomi would do.

"So, tell me. What else is in the Fall Festival besides the Best Costume Contest?" Masaomi questioned while shoving three crackers down his throat at once.

Mikado made a face of disgust, watching as Masaomi chewed with his mouth open so he wouldn't choke on the crackers. "Well, we use the classrooms to make haunted houses. We have several stands outside selling sweats, merchandise, CDs, anything really. The funds made are split in half. One part goes to student council while the other is shared between the stand managers."

When Mikado stopped to take a breath, Mairu continued on for him. "The school hires really good actors to scare the crap out of everyone too! Kuru-nee and I go every year ever since Iza-nii started there and it's super fun. Even if Iza-nii is the star of the entire thing…"

"See Mikado! She just cursed and you were yelling at me earlier!"

Mikado rolled his eyes at Masaomi and continued where Mairu left off, "They have dunk tanks too. I'm sure you'll enjoy that attraction." Masaomi instantly brightened up and nodded aggressively, "Who are we dunking? Is it Izaya? Please tell me it's Izaya."

Mairu and Kururi laughed, jumping onto Masaomi's back, earning and 'oof' from said male. "No, Iza-nii doesn't get dunked. Unfortunately…"

"Maybe if you ask him, Weirdo…" Kururi offered, which had Mairu nodding in agreement. "Yeah, Kuru-nee's right. He seems attached to you." Masaomi wrinkled his nose in disgust, but nodded. "I'll try."

Mikado shook his head at their antics, before answering Masaomi's original question. "The teachers mainly go into the dunk tanks. They sometimes allow us students, so I'm sure they'll let you make Izaya get in. I'm sure they'd be more than willing actually."

Masaomi took all the information in, nodding several times. "You know, I now understand why everyone is so hyped about this festival now. I can't wait for it! Friday, hurry up and come!" Mairu and Kururi joined in on his cheering.

"Oi, Weirdo. You never answered my original question." Mairu suddenly remembered, poking him in the cheek with her index finger.

"What was your question again, fatass?"

Mairu gasped and pouted, "Hey, I thought you said you were lying about all that!"

"I was, but doesn't mean I'll stop calling you that." Masaomi replied, casually.

"Why? Isn't it against your motto to be rude to girls?" Masaomi froze, cursing Mikado for letting everyone know his weakness. "Yeees?"

"Then?"

He grumbled, "Fine…"

Mairu smiled triumphantly before climbing off the blonde's back and instead resting her back against his and picking the next track for Mario Kart.

"Let's play."

In the end, Masaomi never did answer her question. Not like anyone really cared or paid any attention to that detail. The four of them really only cared about winning this game anyways. Well, they'll all find out later, won't they?

_Durarara!_

Much screaming, shouting, aggressive cursing, and fighting later, all four teens were done with playing Mario Kart for the day. Mainly because everyone pretty much fell asleep. Mikado was leaning on the arm rest, sound asleep. Mairu and Kururi were lying down on the floor in an embrace, also sound asleep. Masaomi was the only one awake, yet he was on the brink of falling asleep himself. He got up from his place on the couch beside the sleeping Mikado and moved to turn the game console off. "What am I gonna do with you all? I can't just leave ya here…Or maybe I can, it'll be too much of a hassle delivering you all to your respective places. But I'm too nice to leave ya out here."

Masaomi moved over to Mikado and placed him on his back before carrying the dark haired male up the steps and over to his room. Once inside Mikado's room, Masaomi set the sleeping teen in bed and left back downstairs to take care of the twins. He debated on whether or not he should take them home or leave them in his room while he took the couch, being the gentleman that he was. Yes, he was even considering being nice to Mairu.

He leaned down and began to wonder how to carry them both to their house next door; all he knew was that it would prove to be difficult. Just then, Kururi woke up and sat up, looking over towards the blonde with a tilt of her head. "Weirdo?"

"Ah, sorry. Did I wake you?"

She shook her head and looked over to her sleeping sister, letting out a yawn of her own. "Mind helping me put your sister on my back? That way I can carry her next door to your house and all?" Kururi shook her head – whether it was to tell Masaomi that she didn't mind or it was just her trying to shake the drowsiness away, he didn't know – and helped place the snoring Mairu on Masaomi's back.

"Alright, come on. Let's go." Masaomi began leading the way next door, once by the front door of Izaya's house, he looked towards the dozing Kururi. "Do you have a key?" Kururi nodded and pulled out her key, struggling to unlock the door for her drowsiness wouldn't allow her too. She managed to fall asleep by just standing there. Masaomi had to support her by wrapping his arm around her waist. _Great, now how am I gonna get them inside?_

As if answering his earlier question, Izaya came walking up the lawn. "Kida-kun? What are you—I see they fell asleep on you. How troublesome." Izaya walked up the steps and leaned down to pick up the key and unlock the door. Once it was open, he took Kururi from Masaomi and carried her inside.

"Come on, their room is this way." Izaya began to go up the stairs with Masaomi following as fast as he could, trying to not wake up Mairu in the process. Good thing she was snoring it away without a care.

They stopped at the second door they came upon which happened to be the twins room, Masaomi followed Izaya inside, immediately looking around their room, curious as to what it looked like. It was pretty normal, a few decorations here and there, but nothing too girly. "Put Mairu right here beside Kururi. Even though there are two beds, they prefer to sleep together."

Masaomi complied with what Izaya instructed him to do, surprised that Izaya actually paid that much attention to the two when he claimed to hate them so much that he avoids them at whatever cost. Maybe, just maybe, Izaya does care about the twins.

Masaomi followed Izaya out of the room quietly, not wanting to disturb the two sleeping girls. He gently closed the door behind him, letting out an exhausted sigh once he was in the hallway.

Izaya leaned against the railing of the stairs, looking bored. Masaomi just stood outside the twin's door, looking awkward. "Uh, I'll get going now. G'night."

Masaomi started making his way downstairs, but was stopped by Izaya grabbing onto his arm. "Wait. Are you attending the festival?"

Masaomi blinked, surprised by the question, but nodded. "Yeah, I might. Why?"

Izaya shrugged, hand still gripping Masaomi's arm. "Just curious. Are you going to school tomorrow or Thursday?"

Masaomi shook his head, "Nah, I'm gonna stay home. You?"

"I'm attending for a bit so that I can get everything ready for the festival." Came his reply.

Masaomi nodded in understanding and continued to just awkwardly stand there, not having much of a choice with Izaya's iron grip on his arm. After a while, Masaomi was starting to get sleepy and bored from just standing there. "Uh, Izaya? Can you let me go now?"

Izaya who seemed to be lost in thought before the blonde called for his attention, nodded and let go. "I apologize. I seemed to have spaced out for a second. Come now. I'll see you out."

Izaya proceeded down the stairs, not once looking towards the blonde, almost as if he was mad – this no doubt confused the blonde. Everything about Izaya today was confusing him. Maybe it was just the sleep that was confusing him.

Izaya leaned against the doorframe, that ever-present smirk back on his face. He gave the blonde a small wave. "See you later, _darling_."

Masaomi glared at the informant, cheeks growing warm at the nickname. "Shut up before I shut you up."

"Oh? That sounded naughty, don't you think~?"

Masaomi grumbled in annoyance before stomping away, slamming the front door on his way in. This only amused Izaya more. Izaya shut the front door as soon as Masaomi was out of his sight, chuckling silently to himself.

_Soon, Kida-kun. Soon..._

_Durarara!_

After slamming the door and locking it rather loudly, Masaomi realized that he might've woken Mikado up with all his noise. He ceased all movement immediately, letting out a relieved sigh when he didn't hear any noise from upstairs, meaning that his best friend was still asleep. How Mikado was able to sleep through that, he would never know. He must have been really sleepy.

Masaomi started moving up the stairs, exhaustion increasing every step. He felt as if though the walk to his room took him years, when in reality it only took a few minutes.

He quickly changed into some more comfortable clothes before collapsing onto his bed. He opened his eyes when his phone buzzed on the dresser beside him. He grabbed it, curious as to who was texting him at this time at night, but also slightly annoyed.

**11:02PM: Almost forgot to tell you. Sweet dreams, darling. Try not to dream about me too much~ ;P **

Masaomi frowned, thinking of only one person who could have sent this message. The question was how he had gotten his number, for he had never given it to the man.

**_11:05PM: How the hell did you get my number, Izaya?_**

**11:05PM: Ah, so you were smart enough to be able to tell it was me. I'm glad! : **

**_11:06PM: You didn't answer my question!_**

**11:08PM: Question? What question? Who is this again?**

Masaomi groaned in annoyance, debating on whether or not he should just ignore the rest of Izaya's messages. "I'm just going to ignore him…" With that goal in mind, Masaomi set his phone back down on the nightstand and proceeded in trying to get some sleep.

**"_Buzz…Buzz…Buzz…Buzz…Buzz…Buzz…"_**

Masaomi groaned at the noise and reached for his phone to look over the messages, his brows furrowed in annoyance.

**11:10PM: I'm just joking, Kida-kun. **

**11:13PM: Kida-kun?**

**11:14PM: Are you still there?**

**11:16PM: Ah, going with the ignore tactic? **

**11:17PM: I see how it is.**

**11:20PM: You do know that I'm just going to keep texting you until you reply, right? **

**_11:22PM: Izaya, would you stop texting me?!_**

**11:23PM: I knew you would come along sooner or later. : **

**_11:23PM: Bastard…_**

**_11:23PM: You know, I noticed you use emojis quite more than I expected you too. _**

**11:24PM: Is it wrong for me to use emojis to express what I'm feeling?**

**_11:25PM: Well, no. But I just think it's weird. You would seem like one of those guys who think they're too cool for emojis. _**

**_11:25PM: Now that I think about it, you actually do seem childish enough to use them._**

**11:26PM: Interesting point of view, Kida-kun. Always expect the unexpected, as I like to say.**

**_11:27PM: Can I go to bed now?_**

**11:27PM: Hm, no. **

Masaomi groaned, resisting the urge to slam his head against the wall. Better yet, slam Izaya's head against the wall. Repeatedly.

**_11:28PM: Why?! _**

**11:29PM: Because I said so. No arguments. Now, amuse me.**

**_11:30PM: You bastard, it's already going to be midnight. Don't you have to get up early for school tomorrow? _**

**11:32PM: Aw, are you worried about me? How sweet! **

**11:33PM: Either way, I'll be fine. Now, let's talk until the sun rises. Go on.**

Masaomi sighed, but complied. He figured arguing about it wouldn't help his situation any. So, why not amuse the older male? Tell him about how much he's hated. Which Masaomi did, mind you. Izaya seemed unaffected by it all though. The bastard was probably used to it.

Hours had passed and they were still texting back and forth, Masaomi had long since stopped worrying about his phone bill. He decided to force Izaya to pay it for him later.

It was around two in the morning when their texting session stopped, since Masaomi had fallen into a deep sleep. The buzzing of his phone, signaling he had a new message didn't do justice in waking him up. He was out like a light, most likely not waking up until much later that day.

**2:12AM: Kida-kun? **

**2:12AM: Did you finally fall asleep?**

**2:14AM: I'll take that as a yes. **

**2:16AM: It was only a matter of time anyways. I could tell by your texting that you were starting to doze off.**

**2:17AM: Well, this was fun. **

**2:17AM: Let's do this again sometime, yeah?**

**2:17AM: I'll see you later. **

**2:20AM: Sweet dreams, Kida-kun... **

_Durarara!_

Later that morning, Masaomi finally woke up a couple of hours before noon. He grabbed his phone to check the time. "Eight? That means I only slept for about six hours…Ugh, freaking Izaya."

Speaking of Izaya, Masaomi noticed that he had eight unread messages. All from – who would've guessed – Izaya. Masaomi read through them all before letting out a big yawn and placing his phone back on the nightstand. He sat up and moved to get ready for school, until he suddenly remembered that attending school today was optional.

Sleep was the instant message his brain sent to his body, but his body refused – as to why, Masaomi could only wonder. Sleep really did sound like a good idea right about now. What person in their right mind wouldn't sleep when they had time to? It just didn't make sense.

"Maybe I'm going crazy because of Izaya… He passed his ridiculousness to me. Greeeaaat."

Not even bothering to change out of his pajamas, which were really only basketball shorts, Masaomi moved downstairs to make himself something to eat and then no doubt spend the rest of the day loafing around on the couch while watching television and or playing video games.

Stuck onto the fridge was a sticky note from Mikado addressed to him. Grabbing it, he began to read its contents aloud. "Hey Masaomi, when I went to your room to see if you were going to head to school today, you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you. Just in case you would wonder, I headed to school because I have to help out with preparations for the Fall Festival. I most likely won't be back home until late. If you want to head out, by all means, go ahead. Your spare keys that I forgot to give you yesterday are on the table in the living room. If you need anything, text me and I'll try to reply as soon as possible. Oh, before I forget. Thanks for taking the twins and I to our respective rooms!

–Mikado."

Masaomi smiled, wasn't Mikado just kind? He had the heart to not wake him up at ungodly hours. He was kind enough to let the blonde sleep to his heart's content. Unlike a certain parka wearing idiotic flea—

Masaomi tossed the sticky note in the trash bin before preparing his cereal and moving on over to the couch, fully prepared to be a couch potato for the remainder of the day.

It was noon when he received a text message from Kururi.

**12:15PM: Weirdo, Mairu-nee and I wanted to thank you for taking us home yesterday night and tucking us in. You were like a big brother! By the way, we would totally prefer you instead of Iza-nii. We might just call you Masa-nii!**

**_12:16PM: Hey Kururi, tell Mairu I said hi. Oh, and no problem! I figured you guys didn't want to lay on the floor all night long. C: _**

**12:17PM: Mairu-nee says hi back. She also asked if we could play more Mario Kart later. She wants to win you again. Since when we stopped playing yesterday, you won. **

**_12:18PM: Of course we can play again! C: Tell her she's gonna lose though! Oh, and I won? How? ',: _**

**12:19PM: You won because you had more wins than her. If I remember correctly it was 49 to 48. **

**12:20PM: We noticed you use a lot of emojis. Are you in a good mood or something?**

Masaomi didn't even realize what he was doing. He checked his replies to see if she was telling the truth and was surprised to see that she was right. "What the hell? Did I always use emojis? Or has Izaya's way rubbed off on me?"

**_12:22PM: Ah, I didn't even realize. Sorry. _**

While he waited for them to reply to his message, he sent Mikado a text message.

**_12:23PM: Mikado! Do I normally use a lot of emojis when I'm texting?_**

**_12:25PM: Masaomi? Uh, yeah. I guess you do. Why? _**

**_12:26PM: No reason, just askin'. Wanted to make sure I wasn't being brainwashed and all, ya know? _**

**_12:28PM: I sure hope not. I'd hate to lose my servant. Remember, you can only be brainwashed by your master, the Great Alien King._**

Masaomi let out a laugh, "Man, I wonder how long our Alien King thing is going to go on."

**_12:30PM: Ya dang Alien King! Who evens calls themselves great?_**

**_12:31PM: Hate to break it to ya, but you do. All the time actually. _**

**_12:31PM: Do I really? Oops? _**

**_12:32PM: Yeah, oops. Anyways, I gotta get going. Lots of work to be completed. See you later._**

Masaomi smiled fondly before switching back over to his conversation with Kururi and he supposes Mairu, since they're no doubt together. As always.

**12:23PM: You really are weird. **

**_12:33PM: Hey! I am not weird! I'm offended. If anyone is weird it's—okay fine. I am pretty weird. But I prefer the term unique. Now, don't be jealous girls~!_**

**12:34PM: Oh, you're still alive. **

**12:34PM: Mairu-nee is asking why we'd be jealous of you. **

**12:34PM: You're creepy.**

**12:34PM: Disgusting.**

**12:34PM: An old man.**

**12:34PM: Weird.**

**12:34PM: Ugly.**

**12:34PM: Crazy.**

**12:34PM: A pervert.**

**_12:35PM: Hey! I am none of those things._**

**12:35PM: Yeah, you are.**

**_12:36PM: Shouldn't you guys be in class by now? Hanging with friends? Doing something that doesn't involve being mean to me? _**

**12:36PM: We're still in lunch break for a few more minutes. We have no friends since everyone thinks we're weird. It's fun being mean to you.**

Masaomi frowned, finding it disappointing that they had no friends. People really didn't know what they were missing. Mairu and Kururi were great to hang out with. He wondered why people thought they were weird. He thought now would be a great time for a topic change.

**_12:37PM: What time do you guys get out of school?_**

**12:38PM: Not until late. Then we have practice today. Why?**

**_12:39PM: I wanted to hang out. Plus, you guys are close to Izaya. I need all the information – specifically dirt – I can get on him._**

**12:42PM: We're on our way to your place. **

**_12:42PM: Wait! What about school?!_**

**12:43PM: School? Who needs school? What even is school again?**

**_12:43PM: You guys can't just ditch!_**

**12:44PM: We do it all the time and it's too late now. We'll be there in a few minutes. Talk to you then.**

Masaomi sighed, but hey. At least he wouldn't be bored now. He was sure that Mairu and Kururi were smart and had no problem with what they're currently learning. Either way, their older brother is Izaya – the straight 'A' student, as he so kindly let Masaomi know. He surely can help them with anything they may need help with.

After some time, the girls finally arrived and were grinning so wide. "Hey Weirdo!" Mairu shouted once he opened the door. Kururi stared at him before covering her eyes, "Kuru-nee? What's wrong?" Kururi pointed towards Masaomi's bare chest, her eyes still covered.

"Oh!" Instead of covering her eyes, Mairu started checking Masaomi's chest out. "Hm, I don't see anything worthy of my praise. Nothing but fat." To make a point, Mairu pinched Masaomi's side, earning a yelp – manly mind you – from the blonde.

"Hey! I ain't fat! This is nothing but muscle! I mean look at my six-pack!" Masaomi patted his chest proudly, causing Mairu to roll her eyes and push him out of the doorway.

"Out of the way, exhibitionist. Oh, and put a shirt on too. You're blinding me! You know, maybe I'll take off my glasses so I can't see you that well…"

Pouting, Masaomi ran upstairs to grab a shirt. He pulled a random muscle shirt and quickly tossed it on before grabbing a notebook and pen, rushing back downstairs. Plopping himself down on the floor between the two twins, he opened up to a blank page and got ready to write. "Okay, let's talk!"

Mairu and Kururi giggled, before wrapping themselves around his arms. "Hey, I noticed you guys like doing that a lot. Is it because you love how well toned my arms are?"

They wrinkled their nose in disgust and shook their heads, Mairu being kind enough to add her own comment. "Ew no."

Kururi added her own nicer comment. "You're warm."

"Kuru-nee is right. When it get's colder, all we need is you and we're warm as can be!"

"Are you guys trying to imply that you guys are in love with me? 'Cause from all those animes and mangas I've read. People only get all warm when they're around their crush, so…"

Mairu and Kururi shared a look of utter disgust, which was a big blow to his pride. "No. Didn't Kuru-nee tell you? You're more like the big brother we never got the chance to have. You're now Masa-nii, right Kuru-nee?" Kururi nodded her head in agreement, earning a fond smile from Masaomi.

"Now, back on topic, Masa-nii! Starting next week, you're walking Kuru-nee and I to school! Okay?" Mairu demanded, big grin on her face.

"What?! Why?!"

Kururi squeezed his arm, "That's what big brothers do."

Masaomi frowned, if he had to walk them to school. That would mean he would have to get up earlier than usual. That way he could get ready, eat, take them to school, and then head to his own school. "I…I don't know…"

Mairu and Kururi exchanged a glance before nodding and squeezing his arm. They pulled out their number one go-to in situations like this: the puppy eyes. They squeezed his arm and gave him the puppy dog eyes. Correction, the kicked puppy dog eyes.

Hanging his head in defeat and groaning, he sighed. "Fine. I'll walk you guys to school every morning…" The twins cheered and high-fived each other.

Before they could make any more weird demands from him that he would no doubt cave into and comply, he cleared his throat and tried to get them back onto their real main topic. "Alright, now tell me any useful information I can use to beat Izaya at the Fall Festival."

Mairu and Kururi hummed thoughtfully, Mairu being the first to talk. "He's a guy. His name is Orihara Izaya. He's turning eighteen next year. Iza-nii is graduating this school year."

Masaomi rolled his eyes, while Kururi karate chopped Mairu's head. "No shit, Sherlock."

Mairu rubbed her aching head, "Well, what am I supposed to tell you?"

Masaomi hummed thoughtfully, much like the twins had done earlier. "Tell me his likes and dislikes, I guess. What's his costume for the festival gonna be?"

Mairu and Kururi hummed thoughtfully again, Mairu being the first to talk again. "Iza-nii likes humans, fatty tuna, ruining people's lives, annoying Shizuo, getting others in trouble, um…"

Masaomi rolled his eyes at all those negative things about Izaya, slightly creeped out about how Izaya liked humans. "Wait a sec, he likes fatty tuna?" Masaomi couldn't help but laugh. "Seriously?!"

Mairu and Kururi nodded, looking slightly amused. "No wait. Iza-nii loves fatty tuna, huh Kuru-nee?" Kururi nodded in response.

Masaomi wrote down that Izaya likes – oh excuse me, loves fatty tuna. He then looked between them, "Alright, what does he dislike?"

Kururi answered this time, "Iza-nii dislikes Shizuo, losing to people – especially those he hates, Aoba, um…" Masaomi nodded, not jotting down anything since he basically knew all that.

"Masa-nii, as for his costume, we don't really know, right Kuru-nee?" Kururi nodded, "Mhm, he didn't tell us."

Masaomi frowned, "Do you guys think you can sneak into his room while he's at school and figure out what his costume is?"

Mairu and Kururi stayed silent for a second, debating in their heads. Soon, they both nodded. "We'll try. Come on, Kuru-nee. Let's go." They both stood up, dusting imaginary dirt off them. "Oh, Masa-nii. Text Iza-nii to distract him while we search. Okay?"

Masaomi groaned, not wanting to talk to Izaya, but nodded. "Fine…" Masaomi pulled out his phone and opened up the chat he was having with Izaya earlier this morning. Cringing, knowing his mood would be ruined after this. "Figure out if he's still at school or not first."

**_1:49PM: Hey, Izaya. You still at school?_**

**1:50PM: Why yes, why do you ask? Do you miss me already?**

Masaomi made gagging sounds, before giving the twins the thumbs up and shooing them out. "Make it quick. I don't want to talk to this idiot any longer than necessary." One they were out the door, he turned back to his phone.

**_1:51PM: Hell to the no._**

**1:52PM: How rude. Well, why were you asking then, hm?"**

**_1:52PM: I wanted you to do me a favor._**

**1:52PM: Favor? What type? **

Masaomi paused his typing, wondering what on Earth he could ask. His stomach growled and he immediately knew the answer.

**_1:53PM: I want you to find Mikado and ask him to get me some sushi from Simon. I'm hungry and craving some of Simon's sushi. I would go to their restaurant, but I don't know where it's at._**

**1:54PM: I see, why didn't you text him and tell him this?**

**_1:54PM: I tried, but he won't answer his cell. Maybe he's busy with whatever it is the hell he's preparing._**

Masaomi was worried that Izaya would text Mikado or ask him this when he saw the younger, so he immediately sent Mikado a text message.

**_1:54PM: Mikado! If Izaya texts you or asks you if I texted you asking if you could get me some sushi, but you didn't respond because you were busy, tell him yes!_**

**_1:54PM: Okay, but why?_**

**_1:55PM: It's for our plan we discussed yesterday, remember? Or at least plan we came up with. Now I gotta head back to my conversation with Izaya before gets suspicious! Bye!_**

**_1:55PM: Wait!_**

**_1:55PM: What?_**

**_1:55PM: He might want to see my phone, so send me a message asking. I won't look at it, so it'll look more real. I'll even delete all these current messages, okay? _**

**_1:56PM: Okay, good idea. Delete these messages and let me know when you're done so I can send the fake to you._**

**_1:58PM: Okay, done. Let me just delete this current one. So, send it in two minutes._**

Masaomi waited two minutes, and then sent it. It was a simple message really, it just said: **_2:00PM: Hey, Mikado! Can ya buy me some sushi? The one Simon makes! I'm starving!_**

Once that was done, he transferred back to his conversation with Izaya.

**1:55PM: Hm, what's in it for me?**

**_2:00PM: If he buys me the sushi, you can get part of mine? _**

**2:01PM: That's fine. I suppose. I'll let him know, but you'll owe me. Is there a certain type of sushi you want?**

**_2:02PM: Nah, surprise me. Text me what his response is, okay?_**

**2:03PM: Alright, I'll go find him for you. **

Masaomi sighed, "I wonder if Mairu and Kururi have found his costume yet…"

Masaomi decided he'd call the girls to figure out if they found it or not, that way he knew how much longer he'd need to stall time and make sure that Izaya stays at school for. They answered his call on the second ring, "Hello?" Came Mairu's voice.

"Hey, it's me. Did you guys figure it out yet?"

"No. He's not on his way home is he?!"

Masaomi shook his head, but then remembered that they couldn't see it. "No, I have him taking care of something for me at school. It should buy you guys a couple of more minutes for sure."

"Alright, Kuru-nee, have you found it yet?!"

"Don't tell me you're making her do all the work!"

"What? No! Kuru-nee and I divided his room in half. I check one side, she checks the other. Duh!"

"I'll let you get back to looking then. I'll text you if anything comes up."

"Alright, bye!"

Masaomi hung up, sighing. "…Mikado, you had totally better get me that sushi…"

_Durarara!_

Mikado couldn't help but continuously glance around the room, expecting Izaya to pop up out of nowhere and ask him questions about Masaomi. He didn't know what plan Masaomi was talking about exactly, since the blonde wasn't specific and had too many plans to keep track of. Mikado could only hope that he would be able to lie to Izaya without getting caught.

"Ryugamine-kun! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

Mikado jumped in surprise and turned to face the grinning male, "I-Izaya. What do you need?"

Izaya plopped himself down beside the nervous younger male, "I came to deliver a message!"

Mikado raised a brow, "A message?"

"Mhm! It's from your dear Kida-kun!"

"Masaomi…? What did he need?"

"He told me to ask you to grab him some of Simon and Dennis's sushi. He says he's starving and doesn't know where else to get it. He said he texted you asking, but you didn't respond. Are you, perhaps, angry with him? Did he do something to upset you? Do you feel like he's leaving you behind?"

"W-What? No! I'm not mad at Masaomi! I was just busy filing out these forms for the student council. I must've not noticed when his message came in… I'll have to apologize to him later. A-Anyways, did he say what type of sushi he wanted?"

Izaya's grin grew at this, "He said fatty tuna would be fine! "

Mikado raised a brow, "…Fatty tuna? Are you sure? He doesn't normally order fatty tuna…Maybe he wants to try something new?"

Izaya shrugged, "Something like that. Now, you seem busy. Would you like me to get it for him instead?"

Mikado looked startled by Izaya's offer, "H-Huh? Um, I guess. If it's not too much trouble for you! I mean, I'm sure you have your own things to prepare for…"

Izaya shook his head, "I'm just about done and was about to head home when I received Kida-kun's text. I don't mind. Really."

"Alright, would you mind then?"

"Of course not! Well, I'll let you get back to work! See you later, Ryugamine-kun!"

Once Izaya was out of sight, Mikado let out a sigh of relief. "Masaomi, you owe me big time…"

_Durarara!_

Masaomi was in the middle of sketching a banana on his notebook paper when Izaya texted him, successfully starling the blonde.

**2:30PM: Kida-kun! Great news! Ryugamine-kun said that I could go ahead and get it for you! So, I'll stop by Simon and ask him to prepare it quickly, and then I'll head right on over! It'll take me about twenty minutes, maybe? I'll be there before three though! Rest assured! **

**_2:31PM: Greeeaaat. _**

Masaomi cursed, "Why Mikado? Why?! Gah! I need to call Mairu and tell her that they need to hurry up!"

Masaomi dialed Mairu's number and was relieved when she picked up right away, "Hell—"

"Mairu! Get out of there! Izaya said he's gonna be here soon!"

"What?! Gah! We haven't found his costume yet though!"

"How could you _not_ have found it yet?!"

"Sorry, but we can't! We're searching his closet, but it's too big and has way too much in it!"

"Damn…"

"Maybe if you try asking Iza-nii, he'll tell you?"

"I highly doubt it. He'll probably say, 'Just wait and see, Kida-kun. It's a surprise.' Or some shit."

"Truuue…What'll we do then?"

Masaomi moisturized his lips by licking them, "I don't know. For now, just get out of there. I'll figure something out."

"Alright."

With that, he hung up and leaned his head back on the couch, exhausted. "Where the hell does he keep his costume?"

"That's what we've been asking ourselves…" Mairu grumbled, scaring the shit out of Masaomi. "Masa-nii, you really should lock your doors, you know."

"Oh, it's just you two. Thank God. For a second there, I thought I'd have to deal with Izaya already. I'm so not prepared for that." Mairu and Kururi plopped themselves down beside the blonde. Mairu grabbed the remote and turned the television on. She began scanning through the channels, looking for something that'll amuse her to a certain degree.

A couple of minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Masaomi groaned, hanging his head in defeat. "We'll get it." Masaomi nodded his thanks, before leaning his head back again. He could hear the girls shuffling to the door and opening it.

"Hey, Kida-kun. I brought—" Izaya stopped talking immediately, probably realizing that it wasn't Masaomi that he was talking too. "What the hell are you two doing here?" His voice took a colder tone.

"Is that how you greet your sisters, Iza-nii?" Mairu continued to have that playful tone in her voice, seemingly completely unaffected by Izaya's dark tone.

"You didn't answer my question."

"We wanted to visit Masa-nii, so we skipped the rest of school and came by."

Izaya raised a brow – or at least that's what Masaomi thinks, he can't be too sure since he isn't looking. "Masa-nii? Whatever, move aside." Izaya then made his way in and moved to hover over the blonde, "Someone looks comfy."

Masaomi opened his eyes only to be met with dark redish-brown eyes just a few inches above him. "Great, you're here. Now, where's my food."

Izaya brought a bag into Masaomi's line of view, "Right here!" With that, Izaya plopped himself down beside the blonde and pulled their food out of the bag. "What type is it?"

"Fatty tuna! My favorite!"

Masaomi glanced over towards the twins who were giggling, before taking his portion of the food and began to eat.

"Hey, where's ours?!" The girls pouted.

Izaya gave a small shrug, "Who knows?"

Masaomi offered his plate out to the girls, "Want some?"

Mairu and Kururi smiled and shook their head, "Nah, we're not a big fatty tuna fan. Thanks for offering though!"

"If you didn't want any, then why'd you ask?" Izaya raised an unimpressed brow when the girls just shrugged.

After that, the four of them remained silent, either eating or watching television. After a while, Mairu and Kururi started up Mario Kart and began to play. Since Mairu said she needed practice so she could beat Masaomi's ass at it. Masaomi didn't mind, confident that he could still beat her. No matter how many times she practiced.

Soon, both Izaya and Masaomi joined the game. Masaomi was ashamed to admit that both Izaya and Mairu were killing him. He kept losing to them. Mainly Izaya. Mairu he was able to beat every now and then. For the two of them, one person would win, then the other would win the next round.

"Hey, Izaya."

"Hm? What is it, Kida-kun? If you're going to beg me for mercy in this round, save your breath."

Masaomi scoffed, "Nah, I was going to ask you if you were dressing up for the Fall Festival."

"I am. Why?"

"Curious. What are you dressing up as?"

Izaya hummed thoughtfully and Masaomi began to worry that he wouldn't receive his answer, "I don't honestly know."

Masaomi turned to look at him shocked, game forgotten. "What?! What do you mean you don't know?! Isn't the festival in like, a day?!"

Izaya paused the game and turned to look at Masaomi in return, "Yes, and?"

"How do you not know then?"

Izaya shrugged, "I haven't been able to decide. It has to be something that'll surprise my fans, you know? Since this is my last year at Raira. If you have any recommendations, I'm all ears."

"How about… a flea?"

Izaya gave him an unamused look, before rolling his eyes. "How funny, Kida-kun. Classic."

Masaomi gave a sheepish grin, before thinking for real. "Maybe a pirate or a vampire? What do you two think?" Masaomi turned to look at Mairu and Kururi questioningly.

The two shrugged, "I liked your flea idea."

Kururi nodded in agreement, "Same here."

Izaya glared at them, before turning back to look at Masaomi. "Well?"

"What have you gone as before?"

"I've gone as a King – the girls were fawning all over me, it was ridiculous. I've also gone as a butler one time – the girls went absolutely crazy and kept trying to hire me. Lastly, I went as mangaka – I got drawing requests every five seconds, it was crazy."

Masaomi thought over his options once more, before giving an apologetic grin. "Sorry Izaya, I don't really know."

"What are you dressing up as?"

"Me? I'm not going to dress up."

Izaya raised a brow, "Why not?"

Masaomi shrugged in response, "I don't really know what to go as, I guess?"

Izaya frowned, "Well, dressing up for the festival is optional, but you absolutely have to dress up for my party."

"What? I'm not even going to your party."

"You're not?"

"Nope."

Mairu and Kururi snickered, "Ooh, rejected~!"

Izaya sent his sisters an unamused look, "Why not?"

"I don' wanna."

"Why?"

Masaomi blew out an annoyed breath, "I don't know. Why do you want me to go?"

"Because you're Kida-kun."

"That totally makes sense."

"It does, doesn't it?"

Masaomi rolled his eyes, before eating his last piece of sushi.

"You should really come. It's going to be fun, I assure you. We should wear matching costumes!"

Masaomi wrinkled his nose in disgust, "Isn't that what couples do?"

Izaya shrugged, "I suppose, but it'll be fun, no?"

"Depends on your idea of fun."

Izaya rolled his eyes, "Why are you being so difficult?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

Izaya's frown depended, "What can I do to make you agree to go? Do you want me to invite Aoba and his gang? Ryugamine-kun is already invited so you need not worry."

Masaomi found this to be his chance, "Sure. Two more things though."

Izaya grinned, allowing Aoba into his home seeming like such a small deal now that he knew for sure that Masaomi would attend his party. "And that is?"

"One, you be a better brother to Mairu and Kururi. Second, you let me try and dunk you in the dunk tank that'll be at the festival." Mairu and Kururi's eyes widened in shock, but they remained silent and turned to look at their big brother, wondering if he would agree.

Izaya seemed slightly surprised by Masaomi's requests, but nodded. "Deal."

Masaomi nodded, "Alright, I'll go to your stupid party and we can wear matching costumes or whatever. Don't try anything though."

"Wasn't planning on it, _darling!"_

Masaomi glared at Izaya, but turned back to the game, as did the other three. Just like that, Masaomi's plan was moving into action rather quickly and easily. He just hoped his luck wouldn't run out.

* * *

**I didn't really know what to have Izaya's previous costumes to the festival be so I kinda tried to have it be like his alternates. I would've put Psyche or Roppi in there, but didn't know how to describe him. So instead we got Butler!Izaya and that new alternate, the mangka one.**

**As for Masaomi's (and I guess Izaya) costume, I have no idea whatsoever. If you have any recommendations, I'm all ears. Seriously. It could be for any character really, not just Masaomi and Izaya. (yes, that's partly an excuse to get reviews, but hey, I really do need ideas.)**

**Review! C: **


	16. Chapter 16

**Here's chapter sixteen! It's a little on the short side, but I liked the spot I ended it on and all so I didn't put what was originally going to be in this chapter as well. If I had done that, this chapter would'be been around 7K again. I hope you guys enjoy it anyways, let me know in a review, yeah? **

**Disclaimer: Nothing mentioned in this story belongs to me, you should be glad too. **

* * *

Chapter 16

Fall Festival!

The remainder of that Wednesday and the following Thursday pass by in a blur. Mairu and Kururi would skip school in order to plan their brother's humiliation with Masaomi while said brother was at school or in town preparing for both the Fall Festival as well as his Halloween party that was to take place on Saturday, or in other words: Tomorrow.

"Mairu, did you pick up the costume on your way here like you were assigned to do?" Masaomi questioned Mairu when she walked back into her room while he helped Kururi put the finishing touches on her costume for the festival that was to take place in just a few hours.

Mairu laughed and collapsed onto her bed, wearing her everyday clothes which consisted of a green skirt and yellow cat-like hood. "I sure did! I just can't wait to see the look on Iza-nii's face when he's left with no choice but to wear the costume we got him instead of the one he thinks he's supposed to wear for the festival!"

"Where is it, by the way? You didn't lose it, did you?" He asked, taking a seat beside the laughing female while Kururi ran to the restroom to slip her costume on.

"I dropped it off at Raira with Dota-chin. He said he'd hold onto it for us until we need it."

Masaomi gave a nod of his head, humming thoughtfully all the while. "Don't you have to prepare for the festival, Mairu? Kururi's just about ready. We're just waiting for you."

Mairu jumped up from the couch in a shriek, pulling on her two braids. "That's right! I almost forgot! Ah, where's my costume?! Where's my makeup?! Where's everything?!"

Kururi walked out of the restroom with her costume on, calmly walking over to her sister and spraying her in the face with pepper spray. "Shut up."

Mairu collapsed onto her bed and scratched her face in pain, "I'm sorry, Kuru-nee!"

Masaomi shook his head at the display; patting Kururi on the shoulder in what could only be described as sympathy. Sympathy for what you ask? For being related to both Izaya and Mairu, duh. "Kururi, mind grabbing Mairu's costume for her?" Kururi shook her head and went running to their shared closet to grab her sister's costume.

Once Kururi handed the costume to Mairu, Masaomi practically shoved the female into the restroom. "Hurry up and put it on or we'll leave without you. We only got less than two hours left."

Mairu ran to the restroom and made a ton of ruckus when she was just putting her costume on. When she came back out, she was grinning widely and showing off her costume. "Well? How do I look, Masa-nii?"

Masaomi examined both of their costumes which were both witches' costumes, before smiling and giving them two thumbs up. "You both look great. Mairu, you need to fix your hair though. It's a mess."

Mairu nodded and grabbed her brush so she could brush out the tangles that had formed, "Can you do my hair for me, Masa-nii? It's what all good big brothers do."

Masaomi cringed before nodding in defeat, "Sure. It may not be the best though."

Mairu shrugged and plopped herself down in front of the blonde, "That's fine!"

Masaomi undid the two now sloppy braids that Mairu wore and gently brushed through her hair, not wanting to injure her in anyway after all. He then set the brush down on the bed beside him and separated her hair into two even pieces. He put one side over her shoulder while he worked on braiding the opposite side. Once one braid was done, he began to braid the other side. Finally, the two braids were done and he sheepishly asked Mairu if it was okay.

"Okay? Are you kidding? It's amazing! I didn't know you could braid so well!"

"W-Well, when I was younger. I was always taking care of the younger kids, since almost all of our parents would be busy. I had to braid a lot of hair, you know?" Masaomi scratched his cheek, slightly embarrassed, but more so proud. The mention of the younger kids brought back a lot of fond memories for him too.

"You're going to be braiding my hair everyday from now on then!" Mairu demanded, grinning madly.

"What? No! You're more than old enough to braid your own hair now!"

"But you're our big brother!"

"I am not! Izaya is! Why don't you have him braid your hair for you?!"

"Because Iza-nii is a douche! You're our new big brother!"

Masaomi hung his head in defeat, considering each option he had. "How about this? I'll braid your hair very occasionally. When I'm in the mood to, yeah?"

Mairu thought his deal over, before nodding her head in agreement. "Fine, you have a deal."

With that deal made, the three friends - or should we call them siblings? – went into a comfortable silence just laying beside each other on the bed. Only after a while did the normally quiet Kururi speak, "Masa-nii, how come you aren't dressing up?"

All attention was then brought onto Masaomi who hummed thoughtfully, hands resting behind his head much like a pillow. "I guess because I didn't really think about wearing one for the festival. Heck, I didn't even think about wearing one to Izaya's party tomorrow, I didn't even want to attend either really. Of course, Izaya being Izaya forced me to attend and wear somewhat matching costumes with him. The weirdo…"

Mairu and Kururi gave understanding hums before the three went back into a comfortable silence. Only to be broken by Masaomi after a couple of minutes. "How about we go check on Mikado? See how his costume is coming? We got about an hour and a half until we head to the festival anyways. I'm sure you two don't want to spend that time by just laying here in silence, do you?"

The twins shook their heads before sitting up and following the blonde downstairs and over onto Mikado's house next door. Masaomi unlocked the door with his spare key, practically slamming it open, no doubt scaring the living shit out of Mikado who was upstairs. Masaomi's defense is that it's Halloween. Or the day before Halloween.

"Mikadoooo! Oh, Mikadoooo! Come out, come out wherever you are!" Masaomi playfully shouted.

"No need to slam the door or yell!" Mikado shouted, rushing down the stairs to where the three other grinning teenagers stood.

"Sorry about that, force of habit." Masaomi words said he was sorry, but his body language said he was anything but sorry.

"Bullshit."

"Holy shit! Mikado you cursed!" Masaomi shouted while pointing his index finger at Mikado, eyes wide in shock.

Mikado, meanwhile, looked completely unimpressed by Masaomi's outburst, for he just shrugged it off. "So what? I'm allowed to curse every now and then. Especially if I'm going to be living with you from now on."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"What do you think it's supposed to mean?"

Masaomi pouted, "I'm offended."

Mikado just laughed, "Sorry, sorry."

Masaomi mimicked Mikado, rewarding the blonde with a laugh from Mikado. "Bullshit."

_Durarara!_

For that hour and a half, Masaomi helped Mikado with the finishing touches of his costume for the festival which happened to be a knight. Masaomi had teased Mikado about his choice in costume, asking who the damsel in distress was supposed to be. This teasing got a lot of favorable reactions from Masaomi's easily embarrassed friend, much to the blonde's pleasure.

While the two of them were upstairs and no doubt making fools of themselves, Mairu and Kururi were downstairs playing whatever video game they felt like playing that fine day. The twins would take occasional breaks to go and see what the two older males were making such noise about. When they walked in, they were met with Masaomi who had makeup all over his face – most of the makeup wasn't even where it was supposed to be either.

Soon, everyone had makeup all over their faces. Of course, Masaomi had the most on his face since everyone favored attacking the blonde. Once everyone finished scrubbing the makeup off their faces, they went downstairs and grabbed anything else they might need for that night before walking out the door and heading to Raira Academy to enjoy the school Fall Festival.

By the time they arrived, the festival had just started, yet there were crowds of people everywhere already. Mikado apologized to them and said he had somewhere to be, which left Masaomi and the twins by themselves again. The three of them went to whatever closest booth there was and inspected what they were selling. They did that for a good few booths, before the three of them split ways too. Mairu and Kururi ran off to God knows where, but not before reminding Masaomi of their meeting area that they had to be in, in about two hours.

Masaomi then went wandering around the festival himself, buying himself a cotton candy while just walking around aimlessly. "Kida-senpai!"

Masaomi stopped walking and turned around to look for the owner of the voice, curiosity brimming. Not for whom it was that called him; he figured that out once he heard the voice. He was curious about what that person dressed up as, if they even dressed up.

"Hey Aoba, Neko!"

Neko's costume was, of course, a human sized orange cat. The everyday normal cat ears and the drawn whiskers were still there. The only real addition to Neko's attire was the cat tail and gloves that had this sort of pawn design on them.

Aoba's costume surprised Masaomi more than Neko's did, to be perfectly honest. Aoba was dressed as a human sized blue cat. Blue cat ears, a blue cat tail, blue gloves with a paw design on them, and whiskers consisted of Aoba's costume.

"Aw, you didn't wear a costume? You should've dressed like Aoba and I, nya!" Neko made a cat-like movement with his paws, the normal Neko thing.

"Nah, I didn't wear a costume. Heck, I wasn't even planning to come. I only came because Mikado, Mairu, and Kururi kept begging me to tag along. More so Mairu and Kururi. Izaya did his round of begging too. Anyways, you guys look nice. I should've known better than to expect any other costume from you Neko." Neko just laughed, "I was kind of surprised that Aoba dressed up the same though."

At the mention of his costume, Aoba averted his gaze, appearing embarrassed. "…Neko talked me into it."

Neko hit his chest proudly, "I sure did, nya!"

Masaomi laughed at the display, shaking his head in amusement. "You look good as a cat."

"I do not!" Aoba puffed his cheeks out in annoyance, sending a glare to the laughing Neko.

"Now you just look like a kid."

"Why you—" Aoba made a move to scratch Masaomi, just like a cat would. When the male realized what he was doing, he froze in his spot. This only rewarded him in a laugh from both Neko and Masaomi.

"That was totally not cat-like of you, Aoba."

"I agree with Kida-senpai, Aoba."

Aoba bit onto his bottom lip, whether it was in embarrassment or anger, the two didn't know and really could care less. "Shut up.

Anyways, we were given an invitation to Orihara's party. He said that the only reason he invited us was because you asked him to. Did you?"

Masaomi's mouth formed and 'o', before he nervously scratched his cheek in habit. "Ahh, yeah. Should I not have? It's just that he forced me to go to his party tomorrow and I agreed as long as he invited you guys, be a better big brother to Mairu and Kururi, and that he let me try and dunk him in the dunk tank. You two don't have to come though…"

Neko's jaw dropped in shock, "Wait! He's going to let you try and dunk him?! That's so cool! Please tell me you have good aim, nya!"

Masaomi laughed and smirked, "You're talking to the dunking champion."

Neko went into a round of cheering; even doing weird hip movements that could only be considered dancing. Weird Neko dancing that is.

"I suppose that was nice of you. I don't think I'll attend though. I apologize. You know how iffy our relationship is."

Masaomi nodded in understanding to Aoba, but grinned. "Nah, that's fine. Don't apologize. I figured you wouldn't. If you did, it'd make Izaya upset which is always fun. Plus, you could totally wreck his house which is even more fun."

Aoba blinked, before grinning himself. "That doesn't sound like too bad of a plan. I may just attend."

Neko – who finally finished his weird dancing – raised a quizzical brow, "Want me to brink silly string? That way we can spray that damned hyena with?"

Masaomi continued to grin, "Hell yeah! We should sneak up to his room and spray it all over. Especially on his bed!"

Aoba and Neko nodded in agreement, "Will do."

After that, the three of them continued walking and talking about their plans to piss Izaya off. They kept coming up with plan after plan after plan while they wandered aimlessly or played festival booth games. Before the blonde knew it, two hours had passed by and Masaomi had to separate from both Aoba and Neko in order to meet up with the twins at their designated meeting spot in order to put their plan into motion.

"Masa-nii! There you are! What took you so long?!"

"Sorry, I was in one of the haunted houses at the time…"

Mairu and Kururi shook his apology off before shoving Izaya's new costume into the blonde's hands. "Hurry up and put this where Izaya's costume is supposed to be. The contest is already starting! Iza-nii normally goes last and he's on his way here. So hurry up and go!"

"Why didn't you two do it?"

"It's on the boy's side. We're girls and can't get in without getting in trouble. Now hurry up and go!"

Masaomi frowned, but nodded and started moving towards the designated changing area for the male participants of the costume competitions. Once there, the one question he forgot to figure out was, "Which is Izaya's?"

"Oh, hey kid."

Masaomi jumped and turned to see Shizuo standing beside him all of a sudden, "Ah, hey Shizuo."

"What were you asking about that flea again?"

"Huh? Oh! Where is Izaya's costume? The one he's supposed to change into?"

Shizuo frowned, "Why you askin'?"

Masaomi mirrored Shizuo's expression, "Why are you concerned?" Normally, one would think ever saying that to Shizuo is instant death. Masaomi obviously hasn't been around long enough to figure that out. Much to Masaomi's unknown relief, Shizuo didn't seem to mind the question as much as one would presume. "Curious."

Masaomi debated his options. One, if he didn't tell Shizuo what he was planning, Shizuo may get angry and continue talking to him, Izaya would then walk in and his chance would be ruined. Two, spending time to explain his plan to Shizuo would take too long and make him miss his chance. Three, without consulting Shizuo about where Izaya's costume is, he'd be lost and also lose his chance. Four, if he just gave up and didn't succeed in their plan, Mairu and Kururi would kill him.

Masaomi decided to go with option two. Just do it quickly so he doesn't lose his chance. "Mairu, Kururi and I are sabotaging his chance at winning to get on his nerves. Now can you show me where his costume is? Before I lose my chance!"

This seemed to be all Shizuo needed in order to lead the blonde to Izaya's costume. "It's right here. I'll try and buy you some time if I see Izaya enter. Just quickly get what you need to do, done." With that said, Shizuo walked away and over to the only possible entrance in order to buy Masaomi time to do everything he needed to do.

Masaomi quickly set to work, he removed Izaya's costume from the hook and replaced it with the one he, Mairu, and Kururi picked out for him. He held the other costume in his hand and tried to figure out what to do with it. That's when he heard Izaya and Shizuo arguing voices getting closer. He quickly opened the window and tossed the costume out into the bushes before rushing out of the changing room.

"Oh, Kida-kun? What are you doing here? I thought you'd be with those ridiculous sisters of mine." Izaya questioned, completely forgetting about his previous argument with Shizuo in favor of paying attention to the one he was having with the other younger blonde.

"I, uh, came to wish you luck?" Masaomi cringed at how fake that sounded, even for him. Izaya being as perceptive as he was would no doubt figure out right away that the blonde was lying.

"Wish me luck? Seems oddly out of character for you, don't you think?" Izaya asked, leaning against the wall. "Tell me, what did you really come here for?"

The way Izaya looked at Masaomi with his piercing eyes made the blonde fidget uncomfortably. He even looked at Shizuo for help, but realized that the older blonde wouldn't be able to help him here since the parka wearing idiot was ignoring Shizuo's entire existence at the moment.

"Alright, fine. Ya caught me. I heard that the reward for winning this competition was money and came to ask you to buy me dinner if you won." We all know that wasn't what Masaomi really came for, but he was seriously considering asking Izaya to do that for him

If Izaya didn't believe his words, the male didn't show it. Instead, he raised an amused brow, "Buy you dinner? Is that your way of asking me to ask you out on a date?"

Masaomi went red and spluttered, "What the hell?! No way! Who'd want to go on a date with you?!"

Izaya smirked, seemingly to like the reaction he received. "You, apparently."

Masaomi couldn't help but notice how every word Izaya spoke, he'd take a step closer. "You're mistaken! I just wanted my reward for taking care of your sisters is all."

"Hm, that so? That's not what I heard."

"Well, you need to get your ears cleaned then."

Izaya was now mere inches away from the blonde, hand positioned on the wall behind the blonde, slowly leaning forward. "Tell me, Kida-kun. You said you came here to wish me luck, did you not? How were you going to wish me luck, hm? With a kiss, perhaps? Was that what you wanted from me all along?"

Masaomi scooted as far back from the older as he could, but since he was pushed against a wall, he couldn't exactly do that. Therefore, he tried shoving the older male off of him. "Hell no, now get off. You're heavy, you know that, right?"

"How rude, Kida-kun. I only weigh—"Izaya ducked low, bringing Masaomi down with him, much to the blonde's confusion. "Now, where are your manners, Shizu-chan? You don't just interrupt our conversation like that. Didn't your parents teach you that?"

"Where the hell is your self-control, you horny bastard? Can't you tell that he doesn't want to get in your pants or your bed and he sure as hell doesn't want you in his? Leave him the hell alone!" Shizuo glared at the dark-haired male who merely wore a bored look.

"What makes you think that, hm? Did he tell you this? For all you know, he does want me in his bed and pants. For all you know, we've been in each other's bed for ages now."

Masaomi wrinkled his nose in disgust, shoving the older male off of him. "As if. I'd rather drop dead first."

Izaya stood up from the floor the exact same time Masaomi did and was about to make another retort, until the intercom went off. "_It is now time for out next few contestants. Orihara Izaya, Heiwajima Shizuo, Heiwajima Kasuka, Yumasaki Walker, Karisawa Erika, Orihara Mairu, and Orihara Kururi. Please report to the stage in the next twenty minutes. If you fail to arrive at the designated time, you'll be disqualified by default._"

Masaomi let out a relieved sigh, "Well, I'll let you two get ready for the contest. I'll watch you guys from outside. 'K? Bye!" With that, Masaomi raced out of the dressing room and outside to where the crowd was. Before he could make it into the crowd though, he was pulled back. "Masa-nii! How'd it go?! We saw Iza-nii enter and got worried!"

Masaomi relaxed noticeably when he realized that it was just Mairu and Kururi, not Izaya. "You guys scared me. Anyways, I put the costume where his old one was and tossed the original one out the window into the bushes since he was getting closer. He doesn't know yet since he trapped me into a conversation with him." Recalling the intercom announcement, he added as an afterthought. "How come you two didn't tell me that you were participating!?"

Mairu and Kururi chuckled nervously, "We wanted it to be a surprise?"

"Why did that sound more like a question than a statement?"

The two shrugged just as the intercom went off again. _"Ten minutes remaining. Contestants, get ready in your practiced positions."_

Mairu and Kururi pouted, but snickered seconds later. "Well, we gotta go. Can't wait to see Iza-nii's costume!"

Masaomi nodded in agreement, before ushering them off and running to the front of the crowd where he sat beside with Mikado, Aoba, Anri, and Neko. He sat down grinning, causing Mikado who was sitting on his right to raise a brow, "Why are you grinning like a madman?"

Masaomi just sent him a wink, "Just watch, Mikado. Just watch."

Mikado sent a questioning glance to Aoba who sat on Masaomi's left, only to earn a shrug. _Well, I'll find out soon, I suppose…_

"So, Mikado. This is your damsel in distress, I see. How come you didn't tell me that you two were going out?" Masaomi sent a mischievous grin to both Mikado and Anri who both had an equally embarrassed look on their faces.

"W-What?! N-No! That's not it! S-Sonohara-san is a nice girl, yes, but we're not dating!"

"Oh, but you admit you harbor feelings for her, right?" Masaomi continued to tease, making both teens go red.

"N-No! I didn't say that!"

"So, you don't like her?"

"No!"

"That's cruel, Mikado. You're going to make Anri cry."

Mikado blinked and looked to the blushing Anri, panicking. "I-I'm not saying I don't like you! I do! Just not in that sense! Do you understand what I'm trying to say? S-So, uh…" Masaomi burst into a fit of laughter, only to be silenced when Mikado elbowed him in the gut, "Shut up, Masaomi."

Masaomi massaged his aching side, nodding with giggles still leaving his mouth. _"Five minutes remaining. Contestants who haven't already made their way to the designated line up. Please do so. Remember, failure to be there on time will result in your disqualification." _

Masaomi's grin came back and he focused on the stage, counting down the minutes under his breath, excitement just bouncing off of him and to everyone else. When the five minutes officially passed, his grin grew so wide that his cheeks were starting to hurt.

_"Thank you for waiting. The Costume Contest will now commence. Our first two contestants please make your way onto the stage." _

Erika and Walker walked out onto the stage, hand in hand. They both grabbed microphones and told the crowd who they were dressed up as which were two characters from an anime. According to them, they were dressed up as the popular characters Kirito and Sinon from Sword Art Online II. Masaomi could recall watching that popular anime and had to admit their costumes were rather nice.

Erika and Walker then walked over to the side where chairs for all the contestants were waiting to be sat it. Next, Mairu and Kururi came on out, the two of them also hand in hand. The two of them were still wearing their witches' costumes. Masaomi couldn't help but notice how the outfit had changed slightly from when he first saw them. The outfit was a bit more revealing then he remembered. The twins loved torturing the blonde, so they went and blew him kisses, much to his slight embarrassment.

The two of them then moved to sit beside Erika and Walker while Shizuo and Kasuka came walking out. Kasuka and Shizuo were dressed up as the Mario and Luigi brothers. People kept whispering about how their outfits were really good. Masaomi could also hear people whispering about how it was because Kasuka had connections with Max, the president of the Jack-O-Lantern company.

_"Now, what you all have been waiting for. Our last contestant, Orihara Izaya!" _The crowd erupted into cheers and stared at the stage intently. Everyone was beyond confused when their King didn't come out from backstage. _"Orihara Izaya, if you do not arrive on stage in five minutes, you will be disqualified." _

Everyone began to whisper amongst themselves, wondering why Izaya didn't come out. Meanwhile, Masaomi made eye contact with Mairu and Kururi, all three of them sharing a knowing look that had them snickering.

_"Orihara Izaya, one minute left." _

The crowd started cheering the male's name, hoping doing that would get the male to come out. _"Thirty seconds until disqualification._

_Five._

_Four._

_Three._

_Two._

_One—"_

Just then, Izaya walked onto the stage, efficiently silencing everyone. Everyone except for Mairu, Kururi and Masaomi who burst into a big round of laughter at the way he was dressed. Izaya's costume consisted of black leggings with a big piece of fatty tuna with a hole in the middle for Izaya's head to come out from.

The crowd remained silent, shocked beyond words at the way their beloved Orihara Izaya was dressed. Masaomi and the twins continued their laughter, much to Izaya's annoyance.

Right when Masaomi and the twins thought that the crowd would make no move or sound, they started cheering for Izaya, efficiently silencing the laughing teens. This obviously brought a pleased smile onto the sushi wearing male's face.

_"We will now decide who the winner of the Costume Contest is. For those of you who don't know or either forgot, we'll take your vote by your cheering. Now, if you want Yumasaki Walker and Karisawa Erika to be the winners, cheer!" _

Several people cheered for the duo, causing them to smile and wave.

_"Good, your votes are taken into consideration. Now, if you want the Orihara twins to win, cheer!" _

More people cheered for the two twins, no doubt because they were related to Izaya.

_"Now, if you'd like the Heiwajima brothers to be the winners, cheer!" _

About the same amount of people cheered for the two Heiwajima brothers.

_"Lastly, if you want Orihara Izaya to be the winner, che—"_

The poor person on the intercom - who was really just Saburo - didn't even get to finish his sentence. The crowd went mad with their cheering for the piece of Fatty Tuna, making Masaomi, Mairu, and Kururi's jaw drop in amazement.

_"The winner is Orihara Izaya. Please, come and get your reward from Principal Dota-chin—Kadota Kyohei!"_

Izaya went over to where Kadota was standing by the other contestants to grab his reward which was a check with cash – correction, a lot of cash. He walked down the stairs of the stage and over to Masaomi who looked like a little kicked puppy worried about getting abused by its owners again. Izaya chuckled, leaned down to connect their lips in a quick chaste kiss, shocking everyone, even Masaomi himself. Before Masaomi could either push the older away or continue the kiss, Izaya was standing back up straight, smirk present on his face, "Thanks for the reward, Kida-kun~!"

Izaya then dropped the check in Masaomi's hands before walking backstage, stupid smirk still present on his face. Masaomi's eyes remained wide open, mouth open slightly in shock, ignoring the barrage of questions Izaya's fans threw at him, which consisted of stuff similar to, "Are you dating?!"

Masaomi got over his shock, but remained sitting where he was, head down with his cheeks tinted a light red color.

_Well, there goes my first kiss…Stolen by the most hated man on the planet._

* * *

**Should I change the title to: The Adventures Of Orihara Izaya Attempting to Make a Move on Kida Masaomi but Getting Cock-blocked Every Single Damn Time? XD I'm just kidding - or am I? Anyways, forgive the small Sword Art Online thing. I'm in another big Sword Art Online mood and absolutely adore Kirito and Sinon - especially the ship. Oh, and I gave you all a little Halloween treat - even if it was yesterday. They shared their first kiss! Isn't that exciting? NOT- **** It may have been a weird first kiss, but I didn't know how to initiate it, so... yeah. **

**Big thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter and even all the other previous chapters! I hope you continue to review and enjoy this story! Until next time!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Big thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and or followed! You guys are the best! Thanks for following my story for so long - even though it ain't the best! Oh, just in case you guys didn't know, this same story is also on Ao3 if you want to read it there too or something. Updates will probably be more frequent here though - it all really depends on my mood and all. C: ****Big thanks to everyone who reviewed or messaged me ideas on what the costumes for everyone should be, I needed the help. C: This chapter I made especially long to try and show you guys how much I appreciate you all - also to get out of the Halloween thing since Halloween had passed now but mainly to show my appreciation. I think it's about 11 thousand, not including the Author Notes, line breaks, and chapter title.**

**Disclaimer: Durarara! ! belongs to Ryohgo Narita, not me.**

* * *

Chapter 17

First Party!

After Masaomi's first kiss was stolen by none other than Izaya, Masaomi embarrassedly avoided looking anyone in the eye for the remainder of the day – or at least he tried too. He moved to stand in the corner of the pulled out stage beside Mairu, Kururi, Mikado, Aoba, Anri, Erika, Walker, and Neko. They all were having a conversation, about what? Masaomi didn't even know for he wasn't paying any attention. Much to the blonde's relief, no one brought up what happened mere moments ago, all of them probably figuring the blonde needed some space to breathe and think for a few minutes, which is mainly why they pulled him to that corner when they did. Otherwise, the blonde would've gotten attacked by the raging fangirls.

Of course, all peace comes to an end at some point. That time in life would be whenever Izaya comes on out. He stood in front of the young blonde, no longer wearing that ridiculous sushi costume, but that same smirk from earlier on his face. "Kida-kun! Was that your first kiss? It sure felt like it! Tell me, did you—"

Izaya didn't even get the chance to finish his sentence when Masaomi grabbed onto his wrist and began to drag the male to where? No one except for the blonde himself knew. Izaya, as well as the eight others, followed, curious. Everyone with their own reasons.

Once they arrived in front of the dunk tank, Masaomi shoved Izaya next to the ladder and motioned for him to hurry his ass up and get in. Izaya frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm not getting in."

"We had a deal. Now hurry up."

"No."

"Come on, Izaya. Let me try just once. That way I can let out my anger without things getting too bloody."

"Ah, so that's why you want me to get in. Are you mad that I stole a kiss? You're first one no doubt."

"Are you scared that'll I'll dunk you?" Masaomi countered Izaya's question, not in any mood to answer the dark haired male's question.

"Nonsense."

"Then hurry up and let me dunk you."

Izaya frowned, sighing in defeat afterwards. "Fine. You get once chance."

Mairu handed Masaomi one of the balls that is supposed to be thrown towards the target while he waits for the older male to get situated on the dunking board. Masaomi almost – almost being the keyword –let out a laugh when Izaya took of his coat and gently set it down on a nearby pole, away from the water. He probably would've joked about that if he wasn't so dang embarrassed.

Once Izaya was settled in, the smirking male aimed his smirk back at the blonde. "Ready, Kida-kun? Don't cry if you miss, okay?"

Masaomi scoffed and got into firing position, taking a deep breath and releasing it before throwing the ball at a fast speed. The ball wized away and hit the target causing a small _ding_ sound. Before Izaya could scramble off, he went plummeting into the water before rushing back up, smirk long gone – much to Masaomi's pleasure.

At the sight of a drenched to the bone Izaya coming out of the water, everyone let out a small laugh that soon turned into all out laughter, earning everyone a glare from the infamous male. It even cracked a few laughs from Masaomi who had remained emotionless ever since the sudden kiss.

Izaya, who wasn't exactly happy with his current position, ran with his arms spread out like he was ready for a hug all the way to the blonde. "Kida-kun! I'm cold! Warm me up, won't you?" Izaya engulfed the blonde into a wet hug before Masaomi could even try to run.

Masaomi could feel all the water from Izaya transfer onto him, therefore making him wet as well. He tried shoving the raven haired male off of him, not liking the proximity or wetness. "Izaya! Get the hell off!"

Izaya just tightened the hug, grinning like a child and speaking in a rather clueless innocent tone that certainly didn't fit the male's evil personality. "Why? I'm just giving you a hug! We hug all the time too!"

"We do not! Come on, you're getting me all wet!" Masaomi continued to struggle against the older male, even if it did seem useless.

"What's that? Did you just say you want to get wet?"

Masaomi paled, knowing what was to come. "What? No. No, I didn't."

"Why didn't you just ask me from the beginning then, hm? Come on!" Izaya then lifted Masaomi up bridal style, intent on showing off his strength no doubt.

At being lifted, Masaomi let out a yelp – manly mind you. "Izaya, don't you dare!"

"Don't I dare what?" Izaya just continues to grin and runs over to the pool that was near the dunk tank. The staff had positioned the tank next to the pool so that filling it up and emptying it wouldn't prove to be too difficult.

"Put me down!"

"As you wish!"

With that, Izaya tossed Masaomi into the water, letting out his own laughter when Masaomi resurfaced soon after, sending the heat of his glare towards Izaya, though he couldn't help but crack a small grin of his own.

While Izaya continues to laugh, Masaomi comes up with a plan to get revenge on the spot. He inches closer , making it look as though he was going to get out, but in reality, when he got close enough, he grabbed onto Izaya's ankle and dragged him in. Izaya fell into the water with a big splash, also resurfacing second later. "That wasn't nice, Kida-kun."

"You started it. I just got revenge." Masaomi said while he actually got out of the pool this time, shivering all the while. It _was_ the end of October, which meant the weather started getting much colder. Taking a dip into the pool right about now wasn't such a great idea.

Izaya rolled his eyes and followed Masaomi out, tempted to pull the blonde back in, but ignored that temptation when he saw the younger shivering. The two of them started squeezing as much water as they could out of their clothes, them noticeable shivering. Kadota was kind enough to hand them both a fresh towel to attempt to dry themselves off.

Masaomi walks away from Izaya and over to Mikado and the others who were trying to keep their giggles in check, those efforts went wasted when Masaomi walked up to them, dripping with – good looks –water. "Why are you guys still laughing? Talk about mean. Someone come over here and warm me up. I'm freezing! Just so you know, taking a dunk into the pool in the middle of Winter isn't such a great idea." Instead of anyone offering, everyone took a step backwards, smiling apologetically, causing the blonde to pout.

Izaya came up behind the blonde and dropped his retrieved dry coat over the shivering blonde's shoulders, startling said blonde. "Wha—"

"You're cold, aren't you? Use this to warm yourself up." Izaya interrupted the blonde before he could start questioning Izaya's actions.

"Won't you be cold?" Masaomi questioned, feeling slightly bad about taking Izaya's supply of warmth. Slightly, being the key word.

Izaya merely shrugged in response, grin forming. "If I get cold I can just steal a hug from you and problem solved." Masaomi let his pout return at this, causing Izaya to let out another laugh and move his hand to ruffle the blonde's hair. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Now, come on. Let's go and get some cotton candy. It'll be my treat!"

Without waiting for the blonde to reply, Izaya grabbed the blonde's wrist and started dragging him away to wherever the nearest cotton candy stand was. Once their treat was bought, they ate it and started wandering around. Masaomi stayed at a good distance away from the older male, who didn't seem to mind. They just walked in silence, both leaving wet trails behind them. "…Are you really that upset, Kida-kun?"

Masaomi blinked, surprised at the sudden question, not fully comprehending just what it was Izaya was asking. "Upset? About what?"

"About me kissing you."

Masaomi tensed at the question, breaking their eye contact due to the major embarrassment he felt. He was a big time flirt yes, but he still got flustered over things like this. If one was to ask him why, he'd probably say because during all those other times where he flirted just for the fun of it, he didn't really mean anything behind it. _This _was different. He thinks at least. He's not entirely sure. Right now, all he really is is confused. Confused about everything. His feelings, Izaya, just everything.

"Kida-kun?"

Masaomi jumped, forgetting that Izaya was there for a brief moment as well as forgetting to respond to Izaya's question. He cleared his throat awkwardly, keeping his gaze on the floor while trying to answer as clearly as he could. "…No and yes?"

Izaya raised a brow, whether he was unimpressed by the blonde's answer or not remained a mystery. "No and yes? What do you mean by that?"

"Well, I am pretty upset with you for stealing my first kiss, I guess. I was saving that for someone else, you know? But, I guess thinking about it now; I don't really care either way." Masaomi shoved his hands in Izaya's coat pockets, relishing in the warmth it provided.

"Saving it? For whom, may I ask?"

"None of your business, that's who."

"I apologize; I don't know anyone by the name 'None of your business'. Do you have a picture?"

Masaomi let out a laugh, shaking his head, "I must apologize as well for I do not have a picture of this fine person. Shame too…"

Izaya let out a chuckle, "Anyways, you said that you didn't really care. Does that mean you don't mind that I was your first kiss? That you're elated about it?"

Masaomi wrinkled his nose in disgust and scoffed, "I don't mind, yes, but I never said I was _elated_ by it. God, no. That's just gross." Masaomi stuck his tongue out childishly to get his point across.

"That's not how I took it. You said you didn't mind. That translates that you were happy it was me."

"I—"

"Ah, ah, nope. Your argument is invalid."

Masaomi pouted and looked away, "Narcissistic bastard…"

"Back on topic, if you're not angry with me, why do you act like it? You keep acting all weird around me now. Don't tell me you actually harbor feelings for me now." Izaya mock gasped.

"Hell no. Never in a million years. "

"Noted."

"Tell me, why _did_ you kiss me all of a sudden anyway?" Masaomi turned to look at Izaya now, so he could have an easier time detecting if Izaya was lying or not.

"Why did I kiss you? Hm, because I felt like it I suppose." Izaya casually responded, surpassing a shiver when a sudden breeze swept through.

"You don't just kiss someone because you felt like it."

"Well, I did. Do you have a problem with that?"

Masaomi shook his head, "I just worry for the people you kissed because you felt like it. You probably scared all of them."

Izaya sent the blonde an amused look, "You seemed to enjoy it, so I doubt that. Oh, and for your information. You're the only one that I've kissed because I felt like it. Does that make you feel any better? It makes you swell with pride and relief, doesn't it?" He teased, already expecting what the blonde's next reaction would be.

"Okay, first off, I did _not_ enjoy that. Lastly, why the hell would that make me swell with pride and relief? You can kiss who ever the hell you want to and that wouldn't affect me a bit. Nu-uh. Your argument is invalid." Masaomi quoted Izaya's words on the argument invalid thing from earlier.

Izaya let out a humorous chuckle, allowing the blonde to win this little argument. "Fine, whatever you say, Kida-kun. We all know the truth though!"

"The truth, my ass."

After that, the two went back to acting how they normally would around each other, without the awkward atmosphere hovering in the air between them. They went from stall game to stall game to stall game. They were having a friendly competition, which Izaya obviously won – Masaomi kept saying it was because he cheated.

Hours had passed while they played to their hearts content, they would play with Mikado and the others from time to time when running into each other. Soon though, they were all forced to head home. Some students headed to an after-party to celebrate the Halloween holiday that was to take place the next day or in a few hours. Others were too damn exhausted for that and instead headed home – fully planning on partying to their hearts' content during Izaya's party that would also take place the following day.

Masaomi, Izaya, Mikado, Mairu, and Kururi were a part of the group labeled 'too exhausted to party so we're just gonna head home'. They all walked together since their houses were in the exact same direction and side by side. The two girls seemed to be the most exhausted for they kept lagging behind and tripping over everything – heck they almost walked straight into traffic.

That was how Masaomi and Mikado were stuck carrying Mairu and Kururi. Izaya had outright refused to carry either one of them, saying how he didn't want to get anywhere near them for they would just attack him, which he was too tired to deal with at the moment.

Much to the blonde's relief, his clothes had dried - though still slightly damp - during the hours he had spent fooling around with Izaya, but he was still cold. Izaya's jacket sufficed though. Izaya's clothes appeared to have dried as well and he seemed to be dealing with the chilly weather alright, but you could tell that he was cold whenever he would shiver occasionally.

The walk to their homes was a comfortable silent one. Masaomi and Mikado had followed Izaya into his home and to the girls' room to drop them off. Masaomi had remembered Izaya's instructions awhile back when he was told to set them side by side and relayed the information to Mikado who didn't question how the blonde knew that.

Mikado had bid everyone goodnight, practically running to his home next door, his exhaustion threatening to take over any second now. Masaomi lingered a little longer in order to return Izaya's jacket. "You're not going to ask to hold onto it a little longer?"

"Why on Earth would I do that?"

Izaya leaned against the wall, his jacket in his hands. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe so you can sleep easy with my scent beside you? Or maybe so you have an excuse to come over tomorrow?"

"I wouldn't want either of those. I'm not some little lovesick girl Izaya. Especially not for you."

Izaya rolled his eyes and nodded, the grin on his face showed that he didn't believe a word the blonde said though. "Right, well. Off you go then." Izaya made a little shooing motion.

Masaomi thought he'd give the older male a little teasing in return. He cocked his head to the side, feigning innocence. "Oh? You're kicking me out? I thought you'd want me to stay. That way you could be in my awesome presence longer and attempt convincing me to sleep with ya."

Izaya's grin remained on his face. "Normally, I would love nothing more than to do just that, Kida-kun. I'm afraid I can't today. I must get up early to prepare for tomorrows party." The blonde went slightly warm in his cheeks at Izaya's first sentence, Izaya seemed to notice this for his grin grew and he continued. "Buuuut. If you're _that_ desperate. I don't mind inviting you into my bed. Don't blame me if you're exhausted tomorrow morning though."

Masaomi took a step back, "Actually, no. I think I should get going now. 'K, bye!" Masaomi made a move to run out the door, but Izaya had grabbed onto his arm and pulled him closer.

"You know, the more I think about it, the more I like the idea. Why not stay, Kida-kun?"

Masaomi awkwardly cleared his throat, looking like a deer in headlights. "Nah, I'm good. I really should get going. Mikado may be worrying right about now. You know him. He's a worrywart."

"I'm sure Ryugamine-kun will be fine. Now, let's go, shall we?"

Izaya didn't bother listening to the blonde's protests; he just dragged the blonde up the stairs and into his room, closing the door behind them. "You won't be comfortable in those clothes, will you? I'm sure they're still a bit wet too. I may have something for you to wear… Just wait right there."

Masaomi awkwardly stood by the bed, going over a plan for his quickest escape route. It was either jump out the window or make a run for the door. "Don't even think about escaping, Kida-kun. I'll catch you." _God damn it, Izaya!_

Soon, Masaomi was presented with just some jersey shorts, his gaze flickered to the grinning Izaya. "…Perv."

Izaya mock gasped, "Me? Why do you say that?"

"You know why I say that, stop acting like an idiot. Now, would you look away?"

"Why? We're both males. We both know what male bodies look like. There's no harm in changing in front of one another."

Masaomi gave out a sigh of defeat before he started ridding himself of his slightly damp clothes, too exhausted to argue more. Once Masaomi was dressed in the clothes – or more specifically shorts – that Izaya had given him, he climbed into Izaya's bed and stayed as close to the edge away from Izaya as he could. Izaya had scooted in next to him and noticed this, for he scooted closer teasingly, only to have the blonde try and scoot farther back. "Why do you keep scooting back, hm?"

"Ever heard of personal space?"

"Only on Tuesdays."

"Bullshit."

Izaya let out another chuckle, before he quit teasing the blonde and scooted so that the blonde wouldn't put himself on the edge in order to stay away. "Night, Kida-kun! Try not to dream about me too much."

Masaomi rolled his eyes, "As if."

With that, the two went into a comfortable silence. Both of their eyelids drooping closed and lady sleep begging for them to join her in her dream bliss. They both happily complied, welcoming sleep with open arms.

_Durarara! !_

Masaomi wakes to the comforting touch of fingers running through his golden strands of bleached hair. At first, he doesn't question whom the fingers belongs too, instead he just snuggles in closer, too busy enjoying the touch. _It's warm…_ Once that thought passes through his head, he begins to start questioning – very little though, since he's far too comfortable and relaxed to come to his senses. He hears a small chuckle and can feel the vibration from underneath him. _Wait a sec, what?_

Sleepily, he opens his eyes and looks over to see Izaya, grinning. His dazed mind can't seem to comprehend what's going on. _Where'd Izaya come from? Am I hallucinating things now? Was it from something I ate yesterday at the festival?_

He stared at Izaya, brows furrowed for a few more seconds longer before he remembers everything that happened in the last few minutes he was awake. He then realizes how close they are and can't help when his cheeks go warm from embarrassment. Somehow during the night, Masaomi had scooted closer towards Izaya and was practically against his chest – correction, bare chest.

"Good morning, Kida-kun. Did you sleep well? It sure did look like it. Oh, was I a good pillow?" Izaya asks, that teasing tone in his voice and the way he looked at the shirtless blonde that was propped up on his chest.

"S-Shut up. I don't know _how_ that happened…But I guess you were a pretty good pillow. Very warm that's for sure. Great for the winter time. I may just have to come and use you more often. " The blonde grinned at his own little joke.

Izaya just returned the grin with the raise of an eyebrow, "Oh? That so? I can work with that. You're rather adorable when you sleep. Especially when you snuggle up closer to me in your sleep."

"Are you saying that you watched me sleep?"

"I suppose so, yes."

"…Pedophile."

Izaya let out a laugh, totally expecting for Masaomi to say something along those lines. "At least I wasn't the one who started throwing myself onto someone else while the other person slept."

"Hey, I said that was an accident! So, I move a lot in my sleep! Big deal!"

Izaya brought his hand down to pat Masaomi on the head, "Whatever floats your boat."

When Izaya patted Masaomi on the head, the blonde instantly remembered Izaya running his fingers through his hair and decided to question the male about it now. "At least I don't play with people's hair while they're sleeping."

The older male just cocked a brow and started running his fingers through the blonde's hair again, "I don't see why you're complaining. You enjoyed it, did you not?"

"What makes you think that?"

"The way you snuggled up to me once I started doing it I suppose."

"…"

The blonde had remained silent, not knowing how to counter that. So, maybe he liked it just a teeny bit. Does it matter that much? He didn't just like it because Izaya did it. No, he was sure that he'd enjoy it if anyone did it. If Mikado, Anri, Aoba, Saki, or anyone else he was friends with did it. He was positive that it was like that.

"Well, you're in luck. I'm enjoyed being your pillow and running my fingers through your hair, so I'll do it for you whenever you ask. Does that sound like a beneficial deal?"

Masaomi didn't answer; he just closed his eyes and attempted to fall back asleep, the exhaustion coming back to him just like that. Izaya didn't seem to mind for he fell silent and continued his comforting strokes.

After a while though, Izaya spoke up again. "Did you bleach your hair this color?"

Masaomi opened his eyes, confusion as to why he was being asked this clearly showing in his golden orbs. "Yeah, why?"

"Curious I suppose. Are you going to keep it this way when you're older?"

Masaomi gave a small shrug, "Probably, yeah. Until I get tired of doin' it, I guess."

Izaya gave an understanding hum at the blonde's reply. Masaomi took that as his cue to head back to sleep, emitting a small chuckle from the darker haired male. "As much as I'd love to watch you sleep again, you really should get up. I'm sure your precious Mikado is starting to wonder where you went. Your phone buzzed earlier, I'm guessing it was a text from Mikado. Plus, I have things that I must take care of before six that'll no doubt take me awhile."

Masaomi opened his eyes again, frown present on his young attractive features, "Things you must take care of? Like what?"

"Why, preparing for the party later today of course. Don't tell me you forgot."

Masaomi groaned in annoyance, "Ugh, I did forget actually. Do I _have_ to go?"

"What's that? You want to stay here with me in bed? Oh dear, Kida-kun. I told you that normally I'd love, but today—" Izaya was immediately shut up with a pillow being shoved in his face to keep him quiet.

"I meant to the party you pervert."

Izaya chuckled, but it was muffled by the pillow on his face. He lifted the pillow off, grinning. "Yes, I know what you meant. I was just teasing you. To answer your question, yes you have to go."

"But whyyyyy?" Masaomi drawled out the 'y' sound in the word 'why'.

"Because I said so, that's why."

"You've got to stop using phrases like, 'because I said so' and 'because I felt like it'. They're starting to get on my nerves." Masaomi frowned, sending Izaya unappreciative looks.

"Noted. Anyways, I want you to go because you're you. It won't be fun without you."

"You've had fun numerous times before I came into your life. You sure as hell can do it again."

Izaya sighed and dramatically put a hand to his chest, "I've never had as much fun as I've had with you. Trying to go back to those boring days won't work, you see. That's why I'm demanding you come along."

Masaomi rolled his eyes, "I'm only going for a little bit."

Izaya grinned and cheered much like a child would do after successfully convincing their parents to buy them the toy they've been wanting for ages. He leaned in and pecked Masaomi on the cheek, "You're too kind Kida-kun!"

Masaomi went warm in the cheeks again, sending an embarrassed glare Izaya's way which he promptly ignored. "But I'm not dressing up."

Just like that, Izaya's big grin and cheering came to an abrupt end. "What do you mean you're not going to dress up?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. I'm not dressing up."

"But Kida-kun! You have too! It's Halloween!"

"Not in my book."

Izaya pouted, "You're no fun."

Masaomi just shrugged, fully determined to not give in to Izaya's words about dressing up for the party. Of course, Izaya had other plans. "Oh, please Kida-kun? Won't you dress up for me?"

"Nope."

"What if I—"

"Give it up Izaya. Nothing you say or do will make me dress up for your stupid party."

"You know you really want to. I heard from your precious Mikado that you're a party animal."

"God damn it, Mikado. You weren't supposed to tell him that!"

Izaya just grinned in response, knowing he was winning this argument. "If that's the case, why are you so determined _not_ to go to _my_ party? Which, mind you, are normally the greatest parties ever."

Masaomi frowned and shrugged, "I don't know. I guess because I don't know everyone who is going to be there that well. I mean, I just moved here a couple of days ago. I only know about eight or so people."

"And? What's your point? That's why you go to a party and get to know them better!"

"I don't know…"

"Come on. I guarantee you'll enjoy yourself."

"And if I don't?"

"Then you can kiss me to your hearts' content."

"Ew."

"What do you mean, 'ew'."

Masaomi rolled his eyes, "Didn't we already have this conversation?"

"I don't know, did we? I'll have it again if it makes you come to my party tonight without complaint."

Masaomi weighed his options back and forth. If he did go, Izaya was right, he'd be able to let his inner party animal out and get to meet new friends. If he didn't go, he'd probably be bored out of his mind at home and still remain with the friends he has now. Not that he doesn't like his current friends! He loves them! He just likes having a lot of friends for future connection purposes, you know? Besides, if he _did_ go, Aoba and Neko might tag along and together, they can destroy Izaya's house, staring with said male's room. If he didn't go, he'd miss out on the big chance of his life to wreck Izaya's place and blame it on someone that isn't him and have enough evidence to plead himself innocent.

It is moments like these when Masaomi hates how easily his troublemaker side makes him agree to things. "I'll go."

"Glad that we could come to terms. Now, come on. You must be hungry."

With that, Izaya stood up and led the blonde to the kitchen in order to treat the both of them to much needed and delayed breakfast. Masaomi seats himself down on one of the kitchen stools while Izaya moves to cook the two of them some French toast. While Izaya cooks – and after Masaomi gets over the shock of _Izaya _cooking – Masaomi pulls out his phone to check the text message Izaya mentioned. The older male's guess was right. He had received a text from Mikado, asking where he was.

**_8:45AM: Sorry to worry ya, Mikado. I kinda sorta spent the night at Izaya's place yesterday._**

**_8:45AM: Wait a sec. You texted me at 6! Why the hell are you up so early?!_**

**8:46AM: Oh, alright. I was just checking to make sure you weren't kidnapped or anything while you were walking towards our place last night. I was up so early out of habit I guess?**

**_8:46AM: Nah, I'm too fast for those kidnappers! C : Oh. Mikado. Do the world a favor and go back to bed. _**

**8:46AM: You're one to talk. You're up strangely early today. You normally don't wake up until about noon on the weekends. **

**_8:47AM: It's cause stupid Izaya woke me up and kept bothering me so I couldn't head back to bed. : c _**

**8:47AM: Ah, I see. You still have your spare key, right?**

**_8:47AM: Yup. Why? You goin' on a date with the boobylicious Anri?_**

**8:48AM: What?! No! Is that even a word?! Sonohara-san is just a friend!**

Masaomi snickered at Mikado's reaction, finding humor in the entire thing. Sometimes, Mikado was just too gullible.**_ 8:48AM: Riiiiight. Oh, and yes. Boobylicious is a word. It was created by the great me!_**

**8:49AM: I'm going to ignore your message now. First, I was asking to make sure because I was going to head out to the store with Sonohara-san. We were gonna go and buy snacks and drinks for Izaya's party. We ****do it for him while he and the twins decorate. You should help them out, Masaomi.**

**_8:50AM: Ooooh. Okay, have fun on your date! ;D Oh, and no way in hell am I going to help Izaya. _**

As promised, Mikado didn't reply to him after that. Masaomi didn't necessarily mind though for breakfast was served. He put his phone back in his pocket and began to dig into his meal while Izaya sat across from him and did the same.

"So, what were you and Ryugamine-kun talking about? Me perhaps?"

"Get over yourself…"

_**Durarara! !**_

After breakfast, Masaomi had changed into his now fully dry clothes and returned home. Mikado was true to his words, for when the blonde stepped inside their shared home, the shorter male was gone, off on that date – yet he continuously argued it wasn't such a thing – with Anri. The first thing that had been on the blonde's mind was for him to shower, and so, he did just that. Once his hour lukewarm shower was over, he lay on his – for once properly made – bed and played on his DS for a few hours or so. Like all things, the battery soon reached zero and the blonde was forced to quit his gaming and set the damn thing on the charger. While the DS charged, he decided he'd go back downstairs to watch some television reruns.

He had been watching anime reruns for quite some time when suddenly his front door slammed open and in entered two little devils who instantly threw themselves into the blonde's arms. "Masa-nii! Hide us!" _Wait a sec, how the hell did they get inside the house when I had the door locked?_

The blonde awkwardly wrapped his arms around the two twins to balance their weight on his legs – they looked real nice and thin, yet they still weighed quite a bit, not to be rude or anything. "From what?"

"I assume they mean from me." At that moment, Izaya steps into the house, gently shutting the door behind him and walking over to Masaomi and the twins. He grabs his two sisters' hoods and yanks them off of the blonde, receiving much shouting and protesting from the two females. "Masa-nii! Help us!"

"Shut up you two. You already agreed to help me and that is what you'll be doing. Now, stop bothering the neighbors with all your shouting!"

"We don't wanna help you! We help you all the time!" Mairu and Kururi still continued to complain, no matter what Izaya said.

Masaomi was quite confused on what Izaya wanted the twins to help him with, he tentatively raised a brow. "Help you with what?"

"They're supposed to help me prepare for tonight's party, but for some odd reason, they keep being stubborn."

Masaomi nods in understanding and looks to the twins, what he sees throws him off his groove. The two girls are sending him the puppy dog eyes and putting their hands up in a prayer-like way, just begging for him to help them. Masaomi bites his bottom lip in unease, before sighing. "How about I help you in their place? I don't have anything better to do. Plus, Mikado had been telling me to do things more productive instead of sitting in front of the TV all day."

"I know you're just offering because you want to be with me, no need to sugarcoat your words!" Izaya gave the blonde a small wink, "Back to the matter at hand, I'd appreciate your help, yes. But the twins must he—"

"Of course we'll help! If Masa-nii is helping, then no duh we'll help!"

And that is how Masaomi ended up getting stuck helping preparing for Izaya's Halloween party. To be perfectly honest, instead of Masaomi and the twins actually helping decorate, the three of them did more fooling around than necessary. This seemed to irk Izaya for he sent them unappreciative glares and smacked them all upside the head more than once. Even though, they all managed to get the decorations done before six, which was when the party was scheduled to begin. To be exact, they were ready an hour and a half before the designated time. That was plenty of time to get their costumes ready and do anything else that they wanted to get done before the partying began.

Like Masaomi did during the school Fall Festival that took place just the day before, Masaomi offered his assistance to the twins which they happily agreed with. They dragged him back up to their room and pulled out their matching costumes which were rather revealing versions of human tigers. Mairu dressed up as a white tiger, while Kururi dressed up as an orange tiger. The costume really only consisted of a two-piece bikini garbed in tiger-skin, the outfit also sports feline ears, whiskers, claws, and a long tail.

"Isn't that a bit too revealing? You guys hardly have anything on."

"What, is Masa-nii embarrassed?" Mairu teased the blonde after hearing his question.

"No, it's just… You know what? Never mind. I don't feel like having this conversation." The two twins laughed at him, but let the topic drop.

"If you're done here, come on, let's get you dressed." Izaya said, leaning against the door frame in his costume, which was a ringleader, like the ones you'd normally see at the Circus. His costume consisted of a yellow bowtie; a black coat trimmed with white draped over his shoulders, – currently being used like a cape – a black and white checkered vest with a white ruffled button up shirt worn underneath the vest and coat. For bottoms, Izaya wore puffy short pants with diamonds decorating the seams and black and white boots that reach to the knees and curl up at the toes. To top it off, he dons white gloves on both hands and a black top hat resting against his head. With makeup, he had placed a single tear drop coming down from his left eyes.

Izaya must have noticed Masaomi's gaze travel up and down to inspect his costume, for he smirked and ran his hands down his body. "Like what you see, Kida-kun?"

Masaomi spluttered, scoffing and shaking his head. "No! I just was looking at how good your costume is. Suits you, kinda."

"What's with that 'kinda' part?"

Masaomi just shrugged in response, earning an eye roll from Izaya. "Whatever, come now. Let's get you all dressed up too. Don't even think about trying to get out of it. You already agreed. I even went through the trouble of making sure our costumes wouldn't be mistaken for a 'couple' costume, as you said it."

Masaomi groaned, but complied with Izaya's wishes, knowing he'd have no chance of winning this argument. Doesn't mean he didn't try. "But I'm gonna look weird."

"No, you won't. Remember, you tried it on already and look amazing." Izaya replied, dragging the blonde to his room where Masaomi's costume was kept.

"Of course I remember. How could I forget that experience? I learned a very valuable lesson that day. I'm never going shopping with you again." Masaomi made a look of utter fear at the thought.

"Aw, why do you say that?"

"Why do you _think?_"

Masaomi remembers that day they went shopping for their costumes clear as day. That day was pure _torture -_ for Masaomi at least. Why was it torture you ask? Oh, well because Izaya kept trying to convince him to try on a maid outfit every few seconds. Masaomi kept refusing every time which led to Izaya chasing the blonde around with a maid outfit and almost leading them to get kicked out before they purchased anything.

"Touché. Dispel that worry though; you look amazing in your costume. We both do."

"Why am I not surprised at that last part?"

Izaya chuckled but didn't reply, instead he handed the blonde his costume and told him to change quickly. Masaomi headed for the restroom to put everything on. It took him about five or so minutes, but when he came out, he looked as awkward as a duck. "See, you look amazing! Now, come here so I can do your makeup!"

Masaomi was dressed up a jester, but not your everyday jester. No, his type of jester was more creative, more elegant than those you would normally see. His outfit consisted of black puffy short pants with boots similar to the ones Izaya wore where they reached all the way up to his knees and curled upwards down at the toes section. For the top, he wore a grey and white vest that was mainly covered up by his grey with white diamonds along the inside seam with gold outlining the bottom line coat. On the right sleeve of his coat, it folded up to make a small red and yellow crown, everything that after that was white and grey sleeves, similar to his vest. He wore a blue and red bowtie along with a red, blue, and yellow hat that was a mixture of a jester hat and a sort of medieval pirate hat finished off with black and white gloves. Under his hat, he had part of his blonde hair pulled back, allowing only one side of it to flow freely in front of his face. To sum it up, it was rather creative and pleasant-to-the-eye.

"I still can't believe that _you_ can do makeup so well." Masaomi said while inspecting the makeup Izaya had put on his face in the mirror. On the side where his hair was pulled back, Izaya had drawn a sort of blue teardrop that had three parts to it. The longest drop was in the middle of his eye and went from the top of his eyelid all the way down to his cheek with two separate one on either side of that one, with diamonds separating the middle one from the right one. On his other eye, Izaya had drawn a big red diamond that went over his entire eye all the way to his cheek were it ended with a tinier drop.

"I learned from Erika for times like this." He replied, shrugging it off, finding it to not be such a big deal.

"Iza-nii! Do our makeup too!"

Izaya frowned when his sisters just barged into his room, acting as if they owned the place. "You two have no need for makeup, so no. Besides, I only do the makeup for myself and Kida-kun. No one else."

The twins pouted, but ignored that in order to fawn all over the blonde who was still checking himself out in the mirror. "Masa-nii, you look great."

"Kuru-nee is right! If you weren't my brother, I'd totally date you!"

Masaomi turned his attention towards the two, flirtatious grin appearing, "Oh~? You know, technically I'm not your brother which leaves room for us to date. I'll date both of you gladly."

Izaya cleared his throat, catching all of their attentions, before anyone could say anything more. "I do apologize Mairu, Kururi, but he's taken." With that, Izaya wrapped his arm around the blonde's shoulders, grin in place.

"What?!" The three shouted in surprise.

"I am?!"

"With you?!"

"That's disgusting…"

Masaomi, Mairu, and Kururi simultaneously shouted. If someone asked Izaya who were more surprised by the news, Masaomi himself or the twins, he'd have to say he was unsure. "Yes, Kida-kun you are. Second, I never said with me, but I don't mind making it that way!"

Masaomi wrinkled his nose in disgust, "Ew."

"What's wrong with me?" Izaya asked, sincerely curious for Masaomi had been saying 'ew' to all his advances.

"A lot."

Before Izaya could reply to that, the doorbell rang. "Oh, that must be Mikado and Anri with the food!" Mairu shouted before both her and Kururi raced downstairs, closely followed by Masaomi and evidently Izaya.

When the door was opened, Mikado and Anri both in fact stood there, dressed in their separate costumes too. "Sorry if we're late. Going through the check-out line took longer than we were expecting."

Izaya shook his head and ushered them in, "It's no problem. We still have an hour. No big deal. Come now; bring it all to the kitchen. Mairu, Kururi, help us unload the food." Mikado and Anri moved to enter the kitchen so they could place the bags they had in their hands down on the counter for later fixing.

Masaomi, Mairu, Kururi, and Izaya followed the pair outside to help with carrying the bags inside. Once all the bags were inside and placed on the kitchen counter, the six of them went to work on putting everything where it belongs. For example, putting the chips and rest of the snack beverages on the table in the living room for easy access to the partygoers, or when putting the drinks in punch bowls also on the easy access table. While Masaomi was in the act of stealing a cupcake from the easy access table, his gloved hand was smacked away. Masaomi turned to give a sheepish grin to the culprit who smacked his hand away which just so happened to be Mikado. "Oh, hey Mikado. Didn't see ya there!"

"No stealing until everyone else gets here."

"Aw, come on! I'm only going to get one!"

"One turns into two, two turns into three, three turns into four… Must I go on?"

Masaomi pouted and shook his head, "No…"

At closer inspection – as well as actually looking – Masaomi noticed Mikado's costume was actually pretty nice. Mikado came dressed up as a wizard. His outfit consisted of some regular black jeans with Mikado's normal shoes. For the top of his outfit, he wore a vest with a regular wizard type of coat – like the ones you'd normally see in wizard movies. Atop his head was a wizard hat with a blue stripe. It was a rather normal costume, yet it still looked good on Mikado. "Lookin' good, Mikado."

Mikado blinked surprised, going slightly red and quickly shaking his head. "M-Me? No! I look pretty normal. If anything, you look really good. I wasn't expecting you to go so out there for this costume."

"Well, when you're stuck with Izaya, it turns out like that."

From behind them, a feminine giggle came to their ears. They both turned around to see Anri with a faint smile gracing her lips. "O-Oh, sorry for intruding!" The two of them shook their heads and gave her smiles of their own, "No, you're fine. You're lookin' good too, my dear boobylicious Anri!"

Now that Masaomi actually looked at Anri's costume, he noticed that she came as a witch. Her outfit consisted of a tiny black dress that showed off her cleavage and barely reached down to her knees, along with long heeled black boots.

Masaomi winced in pain when he was hit upside the head by Mikado, "Masaomi! You idiot, don't say something like that!"

"So, are you trying to imply that she's _not_ boobylicious?"

"What? No! I mean, yes! I mean, ugh! Kill me now…" Masaomi laughed at his friend's misery, patting him on the back.

"Anyways, I noticed that you two have matching costumes of sorts. Is there something you two haven't been telling me? Like a secret relationship perhaps?" Masaomi raised a brow and gave them an encouraging smile.

The two of them went red in embarrassment and quickly shook their heads, "M-Masaomi! N-No! W-We're not in some sort of relationship whatsoever! I mean, she's nice and all yes, but no! We don't like each other like that! I think… Gah! Masaomi what is wrong with you?! You always do this! Confusing me, just ugh…"

Masaomi gave an apologetic smile, "I was just joking, guys. But if you reacted like that, then I may need to investigate some more."

Mikado hung his head in defeat, earning another giggle from Anri, who still had some blush coating her cheeks. "You two argue like an old married couple."

Mikado went red and groaned, "…Not you too."

Masaomi just laughed and swung his arm over Mikado's shoulders, "We'd make an amazing couple, wouldn't we? But worry not, my dear Anri! My heart is only set out for you!" Masaomi moved away from Mikado and got on his right knee in front of Anri, taking her hand in his and placing a kiss on the back of her palm, causing her to go red. "I-I-uh-um…"

"Are you cheating on me, Kida-kun?"

Masaomi's flirtatious smile fell once he registered who it was that called for his attention, he sent a glare Izaya's way. "Cheating? We were never together."

"Oh? My knowledge proves otherwise."

"Well, you got some wrong knowledge."

"Are you sure? I do recall the two of us sharing kisses, beds, and hugs. Aren't those things couples do? Not to mention we're together almost all the time."

Masaomi went a light shade of red in embarrassment when the kisses and bed thing was mentioned, "The kiss and bed thing was only once and you forced me into those! The hugs were forced onto me by you too actually!"

Mikado and Anri tilted their heads in confusion and they simultaneously asked, "Bed thing?" Something must've clicked inside their heads for they both went red in embarrassment, causing Masaomi to go an even darker shade, while Izaya just grinned in amusement.

"You idiots, no! We didn't do _that_! Get your heads out of the gutter! We just shared a bed because some idiot wouldn't let me go home. The damn pervert..."

Mikado seemed to be clicking together all the puzzle pieces, "So that's what you meant when you said you kinda sorta spent the night at Izaya's place…" Masaomi nodded, blush going down, just leaving the annoyed expression behind.

They let the topic drop after that, everyone splitting ways to either add finishing touches to their costumes or place out a few more decorations and or food. Before they knew it, the clock struck six in the afternoon and people started arriving and the party came to a start. Izaya was busy entertaining his guests, Mairu and Kururi were handling the music until their assigned DJ arrived, – apparently their DJ was _always_ running late, the Orihara family was thinking about firing him and finding a new DJ – Mikado and Anri were hanging out in a corner of the room and Masaomi didn't want to interrupt their possible moment. So, he was left to just aimlessly wander until Aoba and Neko arrived so they could put their plan into motion.

He had gotten a text from Aoba that informed him that he and Neko would be late thanks to certain difficulties that he didn't indulge in, but not to worry for they would arrive sooner or later. Masaomi had sent a brief quick text that told them he understood. That was all about two hours or so ago.

Needing a break from the huge crowd of horny teenagers swarmed into one room, dancing incredibly close to their partners and other pairs in the room, Masaomi headed for Izaya's backyard. He made it to their without a problem or being noticed by anyone, much to his relief. He looked around and was relieved to see only a few people outside – albeit, they no doubt came out here for different reasons than the blonde.

Not wanting to intrude on anyone, he made his way to the big tree positioned in a corner of the yard and immediately set out to climbing to a rather high sturdy-looking branch. He leaned against the main bark of the tree, heaving out a sigh. "Rough night?"

Masaomi jumped at the sudden unfamiliar voice that reached his ears instantly, almost plummeting to the ground, if it weren't for the other person who grabbed onto his arm before he could. "Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you!"

"No, it's fine. I should be apologizing. I didn't realize there was someone else up here…" Masaomi placed his hand on his irregular paced beating heart, in an attempt to bring the rate back to normal.

"That was kinda the point. I made it so that no one would see me, so I could scare them. Gotta be in the Halloween spirit, eh?"

Masaomi furrowed his brows, "So you were lying when you said that you didn't mean to scare me?"

"Uh…Pretty much. I wasn't expecting you to almost fall to your doom though. So, I am sorry about that." This mysterious guy awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, looking genuinely apologetic.

Masaomi couldn't find it in him to be angry with this male, probably since if the blonde was in his normal state of mind, he'd definitely do the same thing. "Nah, don't be. I would've done the same thing!"

"I'm Yatabe Koji by the way." This mysterious—no, Yatabe extended his hand for the blonde to shake with a big grin on his face. Masaomi returned the smile and shook Yatabe's hand. "Kida Masaomi. Nice to finally know the name of my almost murderer."

Yatabe gave an awkward laugh and retracted his hand, placing it back in his lap with his other limb. At closer inspection, Masaomi noticed Yatabe's costume was actually quite nice, you could tell that the male put lots of effort into making it look perfect. Yatabe was dressed as a pirate, the outfit consisted of tight black pants with boots that reached all the way to his knees with a pirate-like coat, the ones you'd normally see in the good pirate movies – Masaomi could only assume how much _that_ costed. One his head, Yatabe wore an eyepatch to help give his outfit a better _pirate _feel. To top it off, he wore a yellow bandana that kept his hair up in place.

"Nice costume, Yatabe."

Yatabe blinked, seemingly confused at first, but once he comprehended the compliment, he broke out into a huge grin. "Thanks!" He took a few seconds to look over the blonde's costume, when he finished, he looked at Masaomi in pure respect. "Yours isn't too bad either!"

Just like that, a new bond was formed. Masaomi and Yatabe continued chatting about whatever topic came to mind for a while. Masaomi had completely lost track of time when hanging out with Yatabe, the two of them really had a bond. If Mikado wasn't the blonde's best friend, Masaomi would have to say that Yatabe would've been taking that spot. The two only ended their conversation when Aoba and Neko came by, "Senpai, sorry we're late."

"Oh, Aoba, Neko. Nah, don't worry about it. Everything solved?" Masaomi asked, sitting so that he was facing the two newcomers with his legs swinging back and forth on the branch.

"Yup. Who's this?" Aoba questioned, finally taking notice of Yatabe who in return gave Aoba and Neko curious looks.

"Oh, this is a new friend of mine, Yatabe."

At his name being said, Yatabe seemed to get out of his stupor, for he sent a big grin down towards Neko and Aoba, waving. "Hey, nice to meet ya! You two friends of Masaomi?"

Aoba and Neko nodded after introducing themselves, "Yes, we are. I do hope the two of us can become good friends. For a friend of senpai's is a friend of mine." Neko nodded along to what Aoba said, grinning.

Masaomi and Yatabe climbed down from the tree so they could stand face to face with Neko and Aoba. At same leveling, Masaomi took notice of their costumes. Neko was dressed as a human cat once again. This time, his outfit was a the same as the one he wore yesterday to the festival. Masaomi had to resist the urge to tease Neko about his obsession with cats right then and there.

Aoba's costume was different than the one he wore yesterday and was quite simple. He wore his tight dark black jeans with some dark black combat boots along with a way too big on him shark styled hood. Aoba had the hood up which covered most of his face, but at closer inspection, one would notice that Aoba had decorated his face with makeup to make his face appear more shark-like. Even if his costume was simple, it still looked rather nice.

"Hey, you guys look nice."

"Of course we do, nya!"

"Thanks, senpai."

Neko lifted the bag he carried, grin growing larger. "We brought the you-know-what!"

Masaomi returned the grin, shooting the pair a thumb up. "Great! Let's get this done then! I know where Izaya's room is so this'll be a piece of cake. He locked his room before the party started, but I managed to get a hold of his spare key without him noticing." Aoba and Neko nodded their heads in agreement.

"The you-know-what? What's that? What are ya guys gonna do?" Yatabe question, feeling quite lost from their conversation.

"Oh, that's right, you don't know about our plan, huh? Hm, first of all, how do you feel about Izaya? Do you like him or hate him?"

Yatabe seemed startled by the question and looked torn, he didn't know if it'd be bad if he stated his real opinion of the man. "Well, he's interesting I guess. Nice enough to invite someone like me to his parties, but he does make me go on edge. I don't really trust him. So, I guess I don't care too much for him?"

Masaomi hummed thoughtfully, before turning to make eye-contact with Aoba and Neko who nodded their heads. _Did Masaomi and his friends just communicate with their eyes…?_ "That's good enough for us. Well, you see, the three of us don't like Izaya very much and have this plan to wreck his room with silly string while he's distracted."

"…Are you serious?" The three friends nodded in reply. Yatabe thought this over, "You have a forth bottle of silly string?" When they nodded again, Yatabe grinned. "I want in, then." Masaomi and the other two grinned, and simultaneously shouted. "Deal!"

That was how Masaomi, Yatabe, Aoba, and Neko found themselves sneaking up the stairs and into Izaya's room. They shut the door quietly behind them and kept the light off just in case. They all pulled out their smart phones and opened up their flashlights. Neko gently set his bag down on the floor and handed everyone two bottles of silly string. Everyone popped their bottles open and started going crazy with the string, not leaving a single section of Izaya's room untouched. Soon, all of their bottles of string became empty and they – being Masaomi and Yatabe – were preparing to leave, until Aoba and Neko stopped them. "Wait senpai. We're not done." Aoba whispered towards Masaomi.

"We're not? I thought we ran out of string though." Masaomi whispered back towards Aoba, confused evident on his face.

Aoba just grinned, "Remember how I said Neko and I would be late because of a certain issue?" When the blonde nodded, Aoba reached for Neko's bag and inserted his hand, pulling something out. "This is why."

Masaomi leaned in closer to Aoba to get a better look at what the male was talking about. In Aoba's hands was a cage with a skunk inside. Masaomi's eyes widened, causing Neko to snicker. "No way—You—Seriously?!"

"Shh! Not too loud or else it'll wake up and spray us. You have no idea how hard Neko and I tried to get this thing."

Masaomi whispered an apology, before Aoba continued. "We're serious. We think it'd be a fun present to give to Orihara. Don't you?"

Masaomi had to admit, he liked the idea, but was starting to sympathize with Izaya, finding that things were getting a bit too out of hand, but as long as Izaya didn't know it was them, he'd be good. "Just put it wherever and let's get out of here. "

Aoba nodded and quickly opened the cage and gently placed the sleeping skunk under Izaya's blankets. When Izaya would come to his room and get in bed, the skunk would no doubt spray him, earning a laugh from the four friends when they found out. "Alright, let's get out of here."

Yatabe, who had remained by the door with his ear placed against it, began to panic. "Guys, he's coming!"

"What? Crap, he can't!" Masaomi cursed and looked around for an escape. His eyes landed on the window and he pointed. "Everyone out the window. Now."

Masaomi moved towards the window, quickly sliding it open and ushering Neko, Yatabe, and Aoba out. He then moved through the window and quickly and quietly shut it closed. Masaomi almost fell off the ledge in his scurry to get out of window view. Aoba and Yatabe pulled the blonde onto the roof where they remained silent; for fear that Izaya would hear them and come to investigate.

Once they were sure the coast was clear, they each let out a sigh of relief. "Wow that was close!" Yatabe exclaimed, that big grin still on his face while the three others nodded and respectively muttered their own, "Too close."

"Uh, not to really suddenly change the topic, but how are we going to get down from here? The window probably locked itself on our way out and we can't just jump down from here. Humans down land on their legs you know! Just cats!" Neko looked worried, glancing from one person to the next.

Masaomi hummed thoughtfully, "We could always climb down."

"Climb?" Neko questioned with a tilt of his head that looked like the action a cat would make.

"Yup. Should be pretty simple. Just watch me." With that, Masaomi stood up and slowly made his way to the edge of the roof. He lowered himself down and placed his feet on the best sturdy ledge he could find. He then slowly started to climb down like one would do a tree or a mountain. Before he knew it, he made it down to the ground and was motioning for the others to follow suit. Yatabe came down first out of the three of them. He didn't seem to have too much trouble getting down, much like Masaomi. With him, he had brought Neko's bag and gently set it on the ground once he finished his climb. After Yatabe came Aoba who came down without too much of a problem as well and moved to stand beside Masaomi, looking up and ushering Neko to hurry. Now, this is where the problem aroused. Neko was too afraid, confident that he'd fall if he even tried. "You don't plan to stay up there all night, do you?"

Neko gulped and nodded, "Yeah, I do. Got a problem with it, nya?"

The three males standing on the ground shared a look, before adverting their gaze back to Neko and continued to try and convince him to climb down. "Come on, Neko! You'll be fine."

"How do you know for sure?"

"Intuition."

All their attempts and pleas went onto deaf ears for Neko still wouldn't budge. Everyone tried thinking of a good way to get him down. A lightbulb went off into Masaomi's head, he looked up towards Neko and shouted. "I'll buy you two cat posters if you come down!"

"Nope." _Damn…_

Masaomi pouted, only to receive a comforting pat from Aoba. Masaomi didn't give up though, "Roughly, about how much do you weigh?"

Neko thought about that before shrugging, "I don't know. Why?"

"So I can carry you down."

"I think I'd be too heavy, nya."

"It's worth a shot."

With that, Masaomi moved to the edge of the house and started climbing back up much like he would do for a tree. Once he made it to the top he ordered Neko to get on his back and hold on for dear life. Neko hesitated, but obeyed. Masaomi then moved to climb down, though this time proved to be more difficult since he was carrying Neko. Masaomi luckily almost slipped only once and managed to get the two of them down without a problem. As soon as Neko's feet reached the ground, the cat-like male dropped onto his knees and started kissing the ground. "I am never getting off the ground again!" Masaomi and the two others merely laughed, giving reassuring pats onto the sobbing Neko's back.

After Neko finished his ground-kissing, the four went inside and enjoyed the rest of the party. Who came to a party and didn't enjoy themselves, right? Soon, the party came to an end since everyone was too exhausted to party any longer. Aoba, Neko, and Yatabe – he didn't leave before exchanging numbers with Masaomi though – left a few minutes before they announced that the party would be over, not wanting to deal with the swarm of teenagers all trying to leave first. Anri had left the same time the boys did, so Mikado went over to Masaomi and said that they should probably get going too. Much to Masaomi's relief, he managed to leave before Izaya managed to stop him.

Once in the safety of their home, Masaomi sleepily walks up the stairs, almost tripping a couple of times. Once he reaches his room, he gets to work on ridding himself of all the makeup and stripping out of his costume. Everything – makeup and costume – are off and Masaomi collapses into bed in only his underwear, which is fine by him. He shuts his eyes and immediately drifts off into a deep sleep. The last thought that passes through his mind is:

_I wonder if Izaya ran into that skunk yet…_

_**Durarara! !**_

Convincing all of his guests to leave turned out to be more exhausting than Izaya originally planned. Once everyone had left, he collapsed onto his couch, exhausted. "Iza-nii, we're heading to bed." Mairu and Kururi called out to their brother before slamming their door shut and promptly heading to bed. That left Izaya by himself, which was more than fine with him. It gave him time to relax and think. "Too bad I didn't get to hang out with Kida-kun more during the party. I would've loved to see him in his party-mode…"

Izaya lifted himself off his couch and moved to turn off all the lights before heading up the stairs and into the restroom which happened to be the door right next to his room. Once inside, he took off his makeup, once that was all gone, he moved to enter his room. He hit the lightswitch and his eyes widened once he registered what happened to his room. Someone had sprayed his room with silly cheese. "How the hell did I not notice this when I came in earlier to throw my hat in here?"

Izaya shut his door behind him and inspected the damage. He was relieved to see that nothing of importance was messed up and that he could no doubt clean this up without a problem. "God, who in their right mind, did this? How did they even get inside? I locked it. I suppose I wasn't hearing things when I thought I heard a shout from inside my room…"

Izaya stripped down and slipped some shorts on before lifting his blanket. Once the blanket was lifted, his face was instantly sprayed. "What on Earth—Crap!" Izaya covered his mouth and nose in an attempt to prevent the horrid smell from reaching his nose. He rushed out of his room, coughing. "Alright, who the hell did this? The string was one thing, but a _skunk_. Now that was taking it too far."

Izaya could hear scratching at his door and glared at the door, just imagining all the things that he wanted to do to the skunk and whomever left it in his room. He leaned against the railing and drifted off into deep thought, trying to figure out who could've done it. Of course, he had many enemies which left dozens of possibilities. He was in the middle of making the list shorter when his sisters came out of their room, looking annoyed. "What the hell, Iza-nii?! What is that noise?"

Mairu moved to Izaya's door and opened the door. "Mairu, don't—"

Izaya's warning was too late for Mairu had the door wide open and the skunk sprayed the three Orihara siblings who all let out their own sort of scream.

"God damn it, Mairu! I told you don't open it!"

"You should've warned me earlier, idiot of a brother!"

"Well, maybe if you had listened to what I had said for once, this wouldn't have happened!"

"Why you—"

The two continued arguing back and forth, only to be shut up by the skunk that chased them around the house and continuously sprayed them with its horrid smell. One thing was for sure, none of Izaya's fangirls would want to be near him for a while.

**_Durarara! !_**

**Mairu and Kururi's costume was based off of Lisanna's Tiger-Take Over - from Fairy Tail. So look at that if you need help. Izaya's costume was based off of Joker's - from Black Butler: Book of Circus - so if you need help understanding what his looked like, look up Joker. I changed a few things, but basically like his. Masaomi's is like a clown/jester type of costume thing. I based it off this picture I have, forgive me if you can't imagine that with my terrible detail skills. Apologies for the terrible detail for everyone else's costume too.**

**Tell me how you liked this chapter in a review! Oh, and would you guys like chapters long like this? 'Cause I can _try_ to get them long, kinda like this.**


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: (you may or may not want to read?): I'm _extremely _sorry for not updating for like, two weeks. I missed _two_ update days. Now, I could no doubt go on and list reasons as to why I missed said days, but I'm just going to cut it short and say that life has been a bitch and taking over most of my free time. Right now even, I'm supposed to be working on this huge project that is due soon, but I decided, enough is enough. You guys deserve your chapter. Thus, here it is, nice and long, along with my crappy attempt at an apology. **

**/excuse me while I sob ; - ;**

**Disclaimer: D****uRaRaRa! does _not_ belong to me. It rightfully belongs to Ryhogo Narita blah blah blah-**

* * *

Chapter 18

Creation of the Yellow Scarves!

The following morning, – or more so later that morning – after the party, was a rather strangely quiet and peaceful – albeit lonely – one. Masaomi had not woken up from his deep slumber until roughly around noon – no doubt thanks to the fact that he had gone to bed around two in the morning, believe it or not. Once the blonde had zombie walked down stairs and into the kitchen, Mikado – who happened to be getting some coffee, why at noon, don't ask me – had gave a welcoming greeting before retreating to his room, muttering something about how he had a shit ton of homework to catch up on. That then led Masaomi to go and lounge lazily on his yellow sheeted bed, playing Flappy Bird on his smart phone. That is, until he received a text message from his newest friend, Yatabe Koji. That text message ruined his great combo, just so you know. He was around the fifties when he was rudely interrupted. Kida Masaomi literally screamed in frustration. If you haven't played Flappy Bird, then you have no idea how much work and concentration that took.

**1:26PM: Hey, Masaomi! It's me, Yatabe Koji. Do you remember me?**

**_1:27PM: Oh hey man! Of course, I remember ya! Why wouldn't I remember the guy who almost made me fall from a tree and the guy who ruined my Flappy Bird combo? ;P_**

**1:27PM: I said I was sorry for that! **

**_1:27PM: Didn't you actually say that you were half sorry? _**

**1:27PM: Maybe? But hey! It's not my fault you were startled so easily—wait. What Flappy Bird combo?**

**_1:27PM: Shut up! You try being exhausted then having someone just suddenly appear next to you! You _****_ruined my Flappy Bird combo! I had just gotten to fifty when your text showed up on my screen, blocking my view, and thus killing Bob._**

**1:28PM: Who the fuck is Bob?**

**_1:28PM: Bob is—or was, my bird._**

**1:28PM: …Are you high?**

**_1:29PM: Yatabe, my man. Next time I see you, I'm going to punch you for that. _**

**1:29PM: Shit—Forget that I texted you then.**

**_1:29PM: What? Why?! Were you going to invite me out or something?_**

**1:30PM: Something like that, but like I said, forget it.**

**_1:30PM: …Are we going flirting? _**

**1:31PM: What the—No! I can't flirt…**

**_1:31PM: You can't?! Wait a sec, more importantly, we're not?! _**

**1:31PM: I see your priorities. -.-**

**_1:31PM: Just answer my questions._**

**1:31PM: No.**

After Yatabe had sent that one word response, said male had stopped responding to Masaomi's text messages. No matter how many times Masaomi texted Yatabe, he would respond. So, Masaomi decided to bombard the male's phone with phone calls. After the phone ringing about ten or so times, Yatabe _finally_ answered the phone. "Wha—"

"_Finally! _Anyways, you and I should _totally_ go and pick up some chicks. What do ya say—"

"Can't you read, Masaomi? I told you that I don't know _how_ to _flirt_!" Yatabe cried, rudely interrupting Masaomi before the blonde could even properly finish his statement. The cry of protest was so unnecessarily loud, that it had Masaomi wincing and pulling his yellow cased phone away from his ear instantaneously.

"I hear ya, I hear ya! No need to yell!"

The other line went dead silent for a minute or two before a rather quiet, "Sorry," was mumbled.

"So, back onto topic. How does going out to pick up chicks sound?"

"…I don't know."

"Come on! It'll be fun! Trust me! When am I ever wrong?!"

"I…" Yatabe went silent, before releasing a shaky breath, "I'm going to regret this, I know I will…Fine. We can go and pick up chicks, as you say it."

Masaomi jumped up from his lazy position on his bed and cheered rather loudly, earning himself a chuckle for Yatabe and a – strangely polite – shut up from Mikado who was in his room, doing homework and apparently studying for a test, according to the shorter male's shout. "Alright, meet me at that one park with the water fountain. You know which one I'm talking about?"

"Hm, strangely enough, I think I do. See you in a few minutes!"

"Yeah, see ya!" Masaomi then promptly hung up and started changing into his normal clothes – having still been clad in his pajamas which was really just some basketball shorts and his undergarments, not having expected to go anywhere for the day.

Once Masaomi was dressed in more suitable clothes, he ran on over to Mikado's room, slamming the door open, grinning like the fool that we all know he is. "Miiiiikadooooo! Yatabe and I are goin' to score some digits! Wanna tag along? It'll be fuuun. "

Without hesitating, missing a beat, or even looking up from the textbook that the shorter male practically had his eyes glued to, Mikado gave an unshaken, "No."

This obviously caused the childish blonde to take on a pout, crossing his arm indignantly and facing his nose up, much like a snobby brat that we all know Masaomi really is. "Find, suit yourself. Stay up in here cooped up like the booger you are."

This caught Mikado's attention, for he snorted and finally raised his head in order to look up at the blonde, with his brow raised, eyes shining with amusement. "B-Booger? Really, Masaomi? Is that the _best_ that you can do?"

Masaomi in return just flashed the unimpressed male a grin that was unnecessarily bright, "Yup! Your room is the nostril, while you're the booger. I, personally, think it was amazing."

Mikado laughed and rolled his eyes, before turning back towards his math homework, fond smile gracing his innocent looking features, "I'm so done with you, Masaomi. Wait a second, who's Yatabe?"

The blonde blinked in confusion for a few seconds, before making a small 'o' with his mouth and bumping his fist against his palm, "Oh, that's right. I almost forgot. I never introduced the two of you. Guess I just thought that you two already knew each other… Anyways, Yatabe is a friend I made yesterday at Izaya's party. Don't worry, Mikado. He's cool—like me." This ending statement rewarded the blonde with another snort.

"Get over yourself, Masaomi!"

"You know that's _never_ gonna happen."

_DuRaRaRa!_

After failing in his attempts to get Mikado to leave the house in order to hang out while flirting with women –of course, Masaomi's mood was less cheerful than it had previously been mere moments before. He had tried _everything_ to get Mikado to tag along. Masaomi had even brought out his handy dandy _Guilt Trip_ card, but that had obviously failed, much to his disbelief. To be perfectly honest, the blonde was surprised that it didn't work. When he had used it on Mikado before, it always worked. Every. Single. Damn. Time. Masaomi would never wrap his head around why this time, it was a failure.

When the blonde finally arrived at the park, he scanned the premises in search of his newest friend. He found said friend sitting atop the fountain ledge, meddling with his phone, glancing up every few seconds – no doubt searching for the blonde. Masaomi instantly started running over towards where the male sat, grinning like the fool he was. Unbeknownst to Yatabe, Masaomi was really fighting the urge to push said male into the fountain. "Yatabe!"

Yatabe looked up once the call of his name made it to his ears, once he registered who it was, he grinned and waved, looking ten times happier than he was mere moments ago. "Hey, Masaomi! You finally made it!"

"Man, you actually showed up! I was totally expecting you to just ditch me! That's what Mikado liked to do when I'd come and visit him…" A pout made its way onto the blonde's face, but was instantaneously replaced with a grin, "Well, that aside. You ready to get this party stared?"

Yatabe stood up from his spot on the ledge, sliding his phone in his back pocket, looking apprehensive. "I don't know…"

Masaomi rolled his eyes, placing his hands on his hips in a sassy manner, "Come on, you'll be fine!" Masaomi then scanned the other occupants of the park, his eyes almost instantly falling on a dark-haired female clad in a dark red mini-skirt with black leggings peeking out from underneath said skirt, along with a light green turtle-neck that instantly transformed into a darker shade of green towards the bust and down. She was leaning against a tree, tapping away on her phone.

"Look there, at the girl standing alone by the tree. She's the perfect target to woo with my charm!" Masaomi pointed discreetly, oblivious to how Yatabe's eyes widened and how the male slightly paled, "That's—" Before the other could finish his sentence, he was dragged away to the female and before Yatabe knew it, they were standing in right in front of her.

Masaomi had instantly let go of Yatabe's wrist in favor of allowing his manly charm to go all out on the unsuspecting bored looking female, "Why, hello there! Do you have a name, or may I call you mine~?" Yatabe's palm met his face immediately once the pickup line was out of Masaomi's mouth. He feared for the blonde's safety, especially with the person they were currently flirting with. Or more accurately, the person Masaomi was flirting with.

"…Idiot..." Yatabe muttered under his breath.

The female scoffed as soon as she registered what the blonde was saying, "My name is Namie. Yagiri Namie actually and no, you may not call me 'mine'. To my understanding, that was a pickup line, was it not? Before you continue in your flirtations, I must let you know that my heart has already been captured by…Ah,Seiji." Her demeanor had straight away changed once the name 'Seiji' was uttered, she took on this dreamy look while her cheeks flushed a light red color. Soon, her demeanor changed right back to the sour looking woman from earlier, "So get lost."

Of course, Masaomi never took no for an answer. This _is_ Masaomi we're talking about. Hence, he continued on with his attempts to woo Namie. "Aw, come on, give me a chance. I'm sure I'll make it worth your while."

"Where you _not_ paying _attention_? I said, _get lost._" Namie glared at the grinning blonde, promptly crossing her arms over her bust.

"You look so lonely over here by yourself though. So, I thought with me being the gentleman that I am, maybe I should come over here and—"

Namie interrupted the blonde before he could even get the chance to finish his sentence, not really in the mood to listen to him bicker about, whatever it was he was about to talk about. "For your information, the only reason I'm out here is so that I can get away from that disgusting lowlife my brother has for a girlfriend, Harima Mika. She came over to _our_ house and won't _leave_."

Masaomi furrowed his brows, hands being shoved in his pocket. "You know Mika? Wait a sec, her boyfriend is your brother? So, that means your brother is Seiji then?"

At the mention of her brother, her personality changed again. She talked to him with kindness this time, "Ahh, yes. My beloved Seiji…Are you one of his friends?"

Masaomi shook his head, "I actually haven't met him, but I _have_ met Mika and she talks about him. A _lot_."

A look of utter disgust crossed Namie's face at the mention of Mika and her habits, "Yes, I know about _that_. Seiji is much better than that stalker of a witch deserves, that's for sure. You should really meet Seiji in person, he's such a dear. No doubt better than what that Harima Mika girl says about him."

Masaomi hummed thoughtfully, tapping his chin in thought, "Didn't you say that Seiji stole your heart? Does that mean you're in love with your brother?"

Namie sent the blonde one of her many glares, placing her hands on her hips in a sassy manner, "Yes, what of it? Is it wrong for me to harbor these feelings for Seiji? Are you trying to deny our live and get in the way? Like that damned Harima girl?"

Masaomi found it wise not to get on her bad side, so he quickly shook his head and put his hands up in the air as to show that he surrendered, "W-Wha? No, of course not! Just clarifying, ya know?"

Namie's glare promptly fell, but she still looked mighty pissed. _It couldn't possibly hurt to ask this kid. He looks rather knowledgeable in this section of problems. _"Say, uh, what was your name again?"

Masaomi grinned, thinking that she was falling for him already, "Kida Masaomi at your service!" He bowed dramatically.

Namie frowned and furrowed her brows. _Why does that name sound familiar? Have I heard it somewhere before? _"Right, anyways. Do you possibly know how I could catch Seiji's attention? He seems to have all his attention given to that Harima girl and Ms. Sturluson. It's ridiculous."

Masaomi raised a surprised brow, standing up straight, "Ms. Sturluson? You mean Celty? Really, he likes her too? Isn't she in a relationship with Shinra though? At least, that's what I heard…"

Namie nodded her head in confirmation, "Yes, his first crush happened to be Celty Sturluson. She was under our family's care for quite a while when we were younger and Seiji instantly fell in love with her when they met. For years, he never looked at another women like how he did Celty. That Harima girl had fell in love with him when he saved her and her friend from some guy if I remember correctly. She had stalked him ever since. But of course, Seiji had no interest in her, so her feelings were downright rejected. But, she never gave up. She had face surgery done and made it so that she looked more like Celty. That's the only reason they're dating…"

Masaomi raised both his brows in surprise, amazed how one girl would do so much for one man. Love was strange like that, I suppose. "Dang. Does Celty know all about this?"

"You mean about Seiji's feelings towards her?" Masaomi nodded in confirmation. "Yes, she knows. He makes it quite obvious as well as he confessed to her a lot in the past, only stopped doing that when he and Harima started dating."

Masaomi hummed thoughtfully, "I see…"

"Now, back to the topic at hand, do you know anything?"

Masaomi thought over her earlier question for a minute or two, before shrugging. "I, personally, think the best way to grab his attention would to be to make him jealous."

Namie hummed thoughtfully, "To make him jealous? How would I accomplish that?"

Masaomi wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, "By clinging all over some other person that isn't him, possibly? Like me for example. When around him, cling onto me and see how he reacts."

Namie narrowed her eyes, raising a suspicious brow. "Are you only doing this for your personal benefit?"

Masaomi laughed and Yatabe sent him an unimpressed smile. The quiet male had been amazed that Namie actually asked _Masaomi_ for help. "Maaaaybe! It could still work though."

Namie bit her bottom lip in thought, tapping her slim fingers against her arm while she thought. She released a sigh and nodded, "Fine, let's try that out. Don't get too full of yourself though. I'd personally not want to be seen around an idiot."

Masaomi cheered and nodded, "Deal!"

Namie rolled her eyes, scoffing at his cheerfulness, "Give me your phone so we can exchange numbers." Masaomi handed her his phone without a second thought, in return she handed him hers, albeit hesitantly. Once their numbers were exchanged and they each got their phone's back, they prepared to split ways. "I should get going. You attend Raira, correct?"

"Yup!" Masaomi popped the 'p'.

"Good. See you on Monday. Dress nice and _don'_t act like a fool. Goodbye."

With that, Namie then walked off, her long hair swishing right and left behind her as she walked. Beside Masaomi, Yatabe released a sigh. "I can't believe you did that…"

Masaomi sent him a cheeky grin, "Can't believe I did what? Got the number of a super hot chick?"

Yatabe laughed, "Super hot, yet super scary."

Masaomi shrugged, "I'm sure she's nice on the inside. Haven't you seen any anime? The normally scary looking girls are the nicest. What is that called again? Tsundere?"

Yatabe just laughed at Masaomi again, "I knew becoming friends with you was a good idea."

"Of course it was! This _is_ me we're talking about!"

"Get over yourself."

"Why does _everyone_ tell me _that_?"

"'Cause you really need to?"

"Shut up…"

_DuRaRaRa!_

For the rest of that Sunday, Yatabe and Masaomi just wander around, flirting with any unsuspecting women that they possibly could. After a while, they got tired off all the prompt rejects and decided to stop by some restaurant to eat. They were in the middle of debating which restaurant, when Masaomi suddenly came up with an idea. "Russia Sushi! Do you know where that is?"

Yatabe blinked, confused at the sudden outburst, but nodded either way. "Yeah, I know where it is. Why do you ask—Why didn't I think of that?!" Masaomi laughed and fanned himself, "Not everyone is as smart as me, that's why."

Yatabe rolled his eyes and started walking in the direction of Russia Sushi, "Come on, let's go. I'm starving!"

Before they knew it, they arrived at Russia Sushi and were sitting down at the stools set by the counter towards the corner, "Ah! Kida! You come eat sushi?" Said blonde's lips curved into a grin at the familiar broken language, "Simon! It's good to see ya! Yeah, I'm here for some of your delicious sushi!"

"Good, good. Order come right up! Here, free water while wait!" Simon then promptly set two glasses of water in front of both males, giving them two thumbs up before he turned around and started making their meal.

Masaomi brought the straw up to his lips and started sipping on the liquid, "Masaomi, watch out!" He turned to look at Yatabe, confusion etched onto his face. Yatabe pointed behind the blonde before quickly scrambling out of the way. Masaomi turned to where Yatabe pointed and let out a manly squeak before quickly dodging out of the way, dropping his glass cup on the floor in the process. "Vorona?! What the hell are you doing here?!"

Vorona cursed when the blonde dodged her attack, muttering about her calculations were off just by a bit. "Simple. I am here to pay off my debt."

"Or in other words, she's working." Came Dennis' amused reply, before he took on a more serious tone of voice. "Vorona, how many times have I told you not to attack our customers? You're going to make us lose customers and I'm sure you don't want me telling your father that. Do you?"

"Blast, I am busted." Vorona clicked her tongue in annoyance, not saying anything more. Instead she moved to clean up the broken glass pieces and mop up the water that was spilled.

"Sorry about that, kid. We'll give you some free food to apologize for that." Dennis told Masaomi, before moving back behind the counter and handing Vorona a dust pan, broom, and a mop, which she took begrudgingly.

Masaomi leaned down and took the dustpan and broom from her and started sweeping it all up, "What are you doing?" Vorona asked, brows furrowed in confusion, moving forward to take the two cleaning supplies back.

"Helping? I broke it anyways, so I should clean it up. Understand?" Masaomi replied without missing a beat, moving the dust pan and broom out of her reach every time she attempted to grab it.

"Negative. You broke it only because I attacked you. Hence, I should be cleaning up your mess."

"Buuuut, I dropped it. You mop up the water, I'll take care of the glass."

"But—"

Dennis and Simon laughed from behind the counter, "Give it up, Vorona. He seems determined to help, so just let him." Vorona glared up towards Dennis, before nodding in defeat and doing as Masaomi instructed.

Soon, they took care of the mess and Masaomi and Yatabe were given their meals as well as new drinks – for Masaomi more than for Yatabe. The two males were situated once again on their stools and eating happily, Vorona sitting beside the blonde male, calculatingly examining him. "What?" He asked, question slightly muffled thanks to the food in his mouth.

Vorona wrinkled her noise in disgust at the site, but didn't comment on it. "None of your concern."

Masaomi swallowed and pouted, before grinning mischeviously, "Oh, I knoooow. You can't help but stare at my sexiness, huh?"

Vorona scoffed, "Is sexiness even a word, you incompetent fool?"

Masaomi shrugged, "I don't know and don't really care."

Yatabe chuckled beside Masaomi, finding the whole thing hilarious, earning an unappreciated glare from Vorona. "You are…?"

"Yatabe, Yatabe Koji." Yatabe ceased his laughter, gulping in fear. He had heard what Vorona was like and he'd rather not be on the receiving end of her fury. Who knows what'd happened to him after that?

Vorona gave an understanding nod, "I see. Back to topic, Masaomi, I hope you haven't forgotten about our lessons."

Masaomi groaned, bumping his head onto the counter in agony, "Pleaaaase, no. I don't want toooo."

Yatabe rose a brow in Vorona's direction, "Lessons…?"

"Affirmative. He is to take fighting lessons with me every day after the school day ends. He seems to be upset with my conditions for some reason unknown to me as of yet." Vorona replied to Yatabe's question, poking the blonde who was still in agony.

Simon shook his head, "No fight, Vorona. Fighting bad. Don't take other happiness, share happiness instead." Vorona sent Simon a glare, "It is self-defense. To my calculations, he needs it. Who better to teach him, then me?"

Masaomi gave a dramatic fake sob, "Why do I need to learn how to fight though?"

Vorona remained silent, brows furrowed in concentration, like she was trying to figure out how to respond to that and then finally, "To get you prepared for brawls with Orihara."

Masaomi opened his mouth to protest, but was interrupted by Dennis clearing his throat to gain their attention, causing all three teens to turn and see what he needed. "Ahem, Vorona. Haven't we told you to not try and get your friends to fight each other—"

"Orihara is _no_ friend! He's a—"

Dennis slammed his hands down onto the marble counter top in order to shut Vorona up, — in all actuality, he shut _everyone _up, starling anyone who was currently eating in the tiny yet cozy restaurant— all while wearing a smile on his face. "_Vorona, ya dolzhen skazat' vam, snova?!" _

When Dennis spoke in Russian, everyone could tell that he was quite upset with the blonde female, for he hardly ever used his native tongue. The smile the older man wore certainly freaked a few people out, even causing some of the customers to scramble out of the restaurant. Vorona didn't even flinch, she just stood her ground, glaring at the older male. Everything remained quiet, until finally Vorona said, "I shall be taking my lunch break now." She then stormed out of the room, leaving behind a baffled Masaomi.

Once she was out the door, Dennis turned towards the two males, more specifically Masaomi and frowned, "I must apologize for what Vorona did. Attacking you out of the blue like that."

Masaomi shook his head, waving off the apology, "Nah, it's all good. I'm sure she just has trouble communicating with people normally. Maybe she just wants a sparring partner or something? So, she can use the phrase, _we're engaged….in combat!_" The blonde cheekily grinned, earning a laugh from Dennis, Simon, and Yatabe.

"I don't know about that, but you may be right. Vorona always has had trouble communicating with other children around her age. She grew up in a tough environment after all. I must thank you for being so understanding with her." Dennis gave the blonde a thankful smile, before moving back to his area to finish all the other customers' orders.

"I don't know if it'd be wise being friends with you…" Yatabe muttered after awhile of them eating in silence.

"Why is that?"

"You know so many gorgeous dangerous looking people that causes me to worry they may gang up on you someday. Worry isn't great for my health."

Masaomi laughed, jokingly punching Yatabe on the shoulder, "Well, that's where you're wrong, my friend. Being friends with me is downright the best thing that'll ever happen to you!"

"…You really do need to get over yourself."

_DuRaRaRa!_

After the incident with Vorona, Masaomi and Yatabe had eaten the rest of their meals in comfortable silence, making small chitchat every few minutes. Once they were stuffed to the brim, Masaomi and Yatabe split the bill before exiting the shop and continued wandering around town, looking for something to end their boredom. Of course, they ended up hitting a nearby arcade. Fully intent on staying there for the remainder of the day, no matter what anyone told them.

They had played numerous games, both males both having been extremely competitive during their challenges. Little kids who had been in the arcade at the same time the two were kept getting upset and threw hissy fits, complaining about how Masaomi and Yatabe kept hogging all the games they wanted to play. Hell, Masaomi and Yatabe almost got kicked out of the arcade because of the little twerps! Thus, that was why the two were taking a break from handing each other their asses at the snack bar. They sipped on their sodas, fighting about who won the most and blah, blah, blah. They were just being like children to be perfectly honest, until…

"Yatabe! Is that you?"

Yatabe and Masaomi quit their argument in favor of figuring out who had called the male with a bandana on his head, "Who…? Oh, hey guys! What are you doing here?" Yatabe replied cheerfully, waving them over to sit beside him. "Dude, did you forget? This is where we almost normally hang. So, what are you doing here? Oh, and who's this?"

Masaomi, who had finally been acknowledged, grinned towards the males and waved, "Hey! I'm Masaomi! Kida Masaomi to be exact. I'm a friend of Yatabe. I'm assuming you all are too?" The group of males, including Yatabe, nodded their heads in confirmation. "Yup, we're all friends here. I've been friends with these guys since elementary school!" Yatabe announced, proudly.

"Dang, Yatabe. You sure were popular back in the day, huh?" Masaomi joked, sipping from his almost empty soda. Pouting when he did finish all of its contents. He leaned forward to steal Yatabe's, but the male took it away from the blonde's reach before he could.

"I sure was and still am way more popular than you'll ever be!" Yatabe joked back, laughing at Masaomi's pout.

"In your wildest dreams, Yatabe. I'm beyond perfection!"

"Get ov—"

"I swear to God, Yatabe, if you say 'get over yourself' one more time, I will punch you."

Yatabe promptly went silent, not knowing what else to say, since he really didn't want to get punched right then and there. Yatabe came up with a idea, making eye contact with his friends and having one of those conversations with just your eyes. Instantly, they said, "Get over yourself, Masaomi."

"Didn't I just say—"

Yatabe interrupted him this time, "You told _me_ not to say it. You never told _them_."

Masaomi opened his mouth to protest, but realized they were right. He pouted, crossing his arms much like an upset child, which he probably was rather similar to right now. "Damn it…" Everyone just laughed at the suffering blonde, knowing fully well that they had won that little…whatever it could be considered. And they sure as hell were proud of themselves. At least, Yatabe was. Who really knew about the other guys?

Either way, Masaomi could care less. He was too busy sobbing, trying to figure out why everyone kept telling him that one cursed phrase. He instantly blamed Izaya, that's for sure. Why, you ask? He'd just reply with because he can. Very immature, yes he knows. But does he care?

Nope.

_DuRaRaRa!_

After Masaomi's defeat at the arcade, all of the males got up and played some more arcade games until they made the decision to all head home, too tired to play anymore. The party from the day before having taken all of their energy away. Masaomi didn't mind though, he and Yatabe had been outside practically all day. He was sure Mikado was starting to worry about the blonde by now – at least he thinks that's how Mikado was. He was really unsure. Mikado had been changing a lot these days. It was both interesting and worrying at the same time.

As soon as Masaomi had arrived home, he had collapsed into bed, falling asleep instantly. So, when he awoke the next day, clad in his clothes from the day before at an ungodly hour, he groaned in annoyance, remembering that he in fact, had school that day. He slowly sat up, checking the time and found that the clock said it was exactly six in the morning. That meant he was up two hours earlier than he really needed to be. What's the obvious thing he would do in a moment like this?

Try and fall back asleep. Duh. You don't need to be like Sherlock Holmes to figure out that one.

Oh, but of course. For some reason, lady sleep was pissed with him and wouldn't take him back in. Thus, he decided to get off his sleepy ass and shower. Once that was done, he ran downstairs, only to see Mikado drinking some coffee while working on what the blonde could only assume to be homework.

"Who the hell works on homework this early in the morning?"

Mikado jolted up in surprise, quickly raising his head to look at the blonde, wide eyed. "M-Masaomi! You scared me!"

Masaomi cheekily grinned, plopping down on the chair directly in front of Mikado. "Sorry, buddy."

"Why does it sound like you really aren't sorry?"

"I dunno, maybe cause I'm not?"

Mikado rolled his eyes, looking rather unimpressed with the blonde's response. "Right, so what are you doing up so early? You got home pretty late last night and normally you try and sleep in for as long as you possibly can, so..."

_So, he did pay attention. Knowing Mikado, he probably stayed up until I arrived. _"Oh, Mikado. How I wish I could sleep in, like you say, 'for as long as I possibly can,' but lady sleep won't take me in anymore for some reason. She kicked me out. Now, what did I do to anger her this time?!" Mikado laughed, shrugging. "What _did_ you do?"

Masaomi shrugged as well, "I can only wonder…Anyways, why are _you_ up so early? Like, I knew you enjoyed torturing yourself my getting up early, you damned masochist, but this is insane! I mean, you're even doing _homework_! Are you really a masoch—"

"Finish that sentence and I'll ban you from eating for a week."

Well, that instantly shut Masaomi up. Probably because he knew Mikado would go through with that threat. Probably because it happened once before during one of the blonde's visits to Ikebukuro during school breaks. Mikado and he were walking around town, probably around ten years old at the time. Masaomi had caught Mikado staring at one girl who was out with her friend nonstop. Masaomi, being Masaomi, had marched over to her – dragging Mikado with him of course— and told the girl that Mikado had this _huge_ crush on her, which obviously humiliated Mikado. While he had dragged Mikado, the shorter had told Masaomi that exact same line and Masaomi shrugged it off. For the remainder of the week that Masaomi stayed, Mikado had prevented Masaomi from eating. Masaomi had lost a good amount of pounds that week. Now that Masaomi thought about it, he could've sworn that girl from about five years ago looked almost exactly like Anri.

"A-Anyways, I'm just going to go ahead and get some cereal, okay?" Mikado nodded, before getting back to work on his homework, completely pretending that Masaomi hadn't said anything prior to that.

As Masaomi had said, he went to get himself some cereal before sitting back down at the table to eat. He ate while Mikado worked on homework in a blissful silence, until a sudden thought popped into his head, and he called for Mikado's attention. "Hey, Mikado. Do you know when Mairu and Kururi have to head to school?"

Mikado looked up, puzzled. "When Mairu and Kururi head to school? Why?"

The blonde gave a small nonchalant shrug, "Because they asked me to walk them to school every morning, so…"

The shorter of the two gave a sympathetic smile towards the blonde. It seemed as though these days Masaomi was stuck dealing with the twins, hence Mikado felt sympathetic for the blonde, knowing fully well how hectic they could be. They weren't related to Izaya for nothing. Masaomi didn't seem to mind the twins though. Plus, the girls seemed to be having much more fun with Masaomi then they had before Masaomi came over to Ikebukuro.

"I see. It's nice of you to be going along with their every wish, Masaomi. You're becoming more and more of a gentleman these days. I'm glad. I was beginning to worry that you'd be a useless bum for the rest of your day."

"I know, I know. I'm awesome, aren't I—Hey! I'm not a useless bum, Mikado!"

Mikado didn't flinch, expecting the sudden outburst from the blonde. Instead, he got back onto the regular topic, "Anyways, to answer your question. I'm not too sure, since I normally leave early for school. To help out the teachers and all."

"You mean Anri." Masaomi fake coughed.

The shorter male flushed, sending a glare Masaomi's way. "S-Shut up! It's not like that!"

"Your reaction says otherwise!" Masaomi playfully returned, enjoying how Mikado was still so easy to tease. _Maybe, I was worrying over nothing…_

"_Anyways,_ I suggest going over and asking Izaya or something." Masaomi nodded, and continued eating his cereal, allowing Mikado to continue working on his homework in piece.

Before the blonde knew it, he was done with his cereal and heading over to Izaya's house next door, all dressed and ready for school. He tentatively rang the doorbell, waiting only for a few short minutes. As soon as the door opened, he was met with a groggy looking Izaya who was still dressed in pajamas. No doubt having just woke up. "Kida-kun? What are you doing here so early? Miss me already?" The older male released a yawn towards the end of his sentences, rubbing at his eyes.

The blonde scoffed, "As if. I'm here to talk to Mairu and Kururi. Are they awake or…?"

Izaya shook his head, ushering the blonde inside, who happily complied, not liking the slight chill from outside. "No, the twins are still asleep. What did you need from them?" Izaya collapsed onto his couch, patting the spot next to him, telling the blonde to sit beside him.

Masaomi complied with Izaya's wishes, sitting on the far edge of the couch beside the older male, "I was wondering when they're headed to school. They had asked me to walk them to school every morning and I thought, why not?"

The dark haired male hummed thoughtfully, "I see. Listen, you _do_ know you _don't_ have to do everything they say, _right_?" Izaya asked, turning so he was sitting sideways on the couch, in order to face the blonde while they talked.

Masaomi nodded his head in confirmation, doing the same as Izaya. "Yeah, I know. I really don't mind humoring them for awhile though. Besides, they seem more cheerful when I do. At least, that's what I've been told by Mikado. Plus, it reminds me of when I was back in the country. I used to take care of all the younger kids. Another plus is that they're fun to hang out with. Guess they really are related to you." The blonde smiled fondly once he recalled his time back in the country.

Izaya seemed more awake than he was mere moments ago – he still did seem tired though. "Interesting. I have a request then, Kida-kun." Izaya said, leaning in slightly.

The blonde raised a brow, "What's that?"

Izaya was mere inches away from the blonde's face; obviously he had invaded the blonde's bubble, causing the blonde to get all nervous. "_Humor me too_."

The blonde's cheeks flushed slightly at Izaya's words and when the hovering male leaned in closer, thus him being mere centimeters away from his face. Almost as if he was trying to steal another one of the blonde's kisses. Masaomi opened his mouth to respond to that, until he got a whiff of a rather…disgusting smell. He instantly covered his nose, brows furrowed. "What the hell is _that_?"

Izaya blinked in surprise, groaning and promptly pulling away, retreating back to his side of the couch. "Is it really still _that _bad?" The older asked, pinching the bridge of his nose in what could be only labeled as stress.

Masaomi nodded, still not uncovering his nose. "What happened?!"

Izaya sent the blonde an unappreciative glance, "Keep your volume down. I'd rather not deal with the twins right now." The blonde whispered an apology, before Izaya answered the blonde's original question. "Well, you see. Someone left a _skunk_ in _my_ room. How they got it, I can only wonder. It sprayed me before I could move and then my two idiots of a sister opened the door, causing the three of us to get sprayed. Again."

Masaomi tilted his head in confusion, until it clicked. _The skunk that Aoba and Neko got! It **actually** worked! Oh God, I have to tell them! _Masaomi burst into a fit of laughter, in the process uncovering his nose, but ceasing his laughter immediately when the smell wavered back, promptly covering his nose. "How'd a skunk get in your room? When did this even happen?" He played innocent, not knowing what Izaya would do to him otherwise.

"It happened after everyone went home from my party. So, yesterday morning you could say. I'm wondering myself how it got there…I have my suspicions on who it was though." Izaya sighed, running his hand through his dark colored hair. "The girls and I have smelled like skunk ever since. Not to mention my room…I'm honestly thinking about skipping school today."

Masaomi grinned, "And the skunk? What happened to it?"

"It's still in my room. The damned thing."

The blonde laughed again, ceasing his laughter when Izaya glared at him. "Sorry, sorry. Did you try calling Pest Control?" Izaya nodded, "They had made stupid excuses once I said they'd be dealing with a skunk. Typical of humans honestly."

Masaomi looked sympathetic before he pulled out his phone and texted Aoba a simple text asking how he and Neko had gotten the skunk without getting sprayed Saturday night. Seeing the blonde tap away on his phone caught the older male's attention, for he raised a brow. "What are you doing? Not sharing my story, are you? If you are, Kida-kun I swear —"

"Relax, I'm not. Just looking up how to take care of a skunk without getting sprayed." Izaya seemed satisfied for he stayed quiet after that, probably his own smell killing him. "Make sure you look up how to get rid of the smell too…" This obviously caused the blonde to laugh once again.

**5:47AM: Senpai, why are you up so early? School doesn't start until eight. **

**_5:47AM: Sorry, Aoba. I'll explain later. Can you just answer my question for now?_**

**5:48AM: Neko and I used their weakness against them. Light. Skunks are nocturnal and hate light. So, we just grabbed as many lights as we could carry and trapped the skunk, and then threw a plastic cage like sort of thing on it. Why?**

**_5:48AM: I'll explain later. For now, go back to bed. Talk to you later! _**

With that, Masaomi then slipped his phone back in his pocket and grinned. "I think I may know how to take care of your skunk problem."

"Thank God. Kida-kun, you're my savior!" Izaya threw himself atop the blonde, kissing Masaomi's cheek in gratitude.

When Izaya came closer, so did the smell. Masaomi pushed against the male, trying to get him away. "Izaya! Get away from me! You stink!"

"Oh, right. Sorry about that." Izaya then moved off the blonde, pouting slightly. Much like a child. "Anyways, what—"

"Masa-nii!"

Masaomi was instantly jumped by two – rather heavy – females, instantly bringing back the horrid smell. "Gah! You guys stink! Get off of me! Izaya, help me!" Izaya then quickly took Mairu and Kururi off of the suffering blonde who was currently choking on air. "…God have mercy on my soul."

"Ehehe…Sorry Masa-nii."

"It's fine. Just _please_ don't do it again."

The twins nodded, reassuring him that they wouldn't do it again, before promptly asking why the blonde was there in the first place. Both Masaomi and Izaya filled the two in on why Masaomi was here – which they thought was rather sweet and tried to unconsciously kill him with their smell again – and how he knew how to get rid of the skunks, much to everyone's relief. Mairu and Kururi made eye contact before the two of them both nodded and turned back to look at the blonde, "Masa-nii, you don't happen to know how to get rid of the _smell_ do you?"

Masaomi hummed thoughtfully, before pulling out his phone again and typing away, "Says here that mixing one quart three-percent hydrogen peroxide, one-fourth a cup of baking soda, and one teaspoon of liquid dishwashing soap in a plastic spray bottle will do the trick. Do you guys have that?"

The twins recalled what the ingredients were before shrugging and turning towards Izaya, who thoughtfully hummed and nodded. "I believe we do, actually. Mairu, Kururi, you get the necessary ingredients ready while Kida-kun and I take care of the bastard." The girls giggled before running off in search of the necessary ingredients.

"Izaya, do you have a plastic sort of trap?" Izaya hummed thoughtfully once again, "I actually think we have one in the garage. Let's go and get it." Masaomi nodded and motioned for the older male to lead the way, following close behind.

Izaya led the blonde out to the backyard and to the small house like garage in the corner opposite of the big tree that Masaomi had met Yatabe on the other day. Izaya opened the door and entered, searching for the spoken of tool. "Hm, will this work, Kida-kun?" Izaya presented a big white plastic box to the blonde who inspected it and nodded, "Yeah, it'll do."

With that decided, the two headed back inside and up the stairs towards Izaya's bedroom. Izaya frowned, glaring daggers at his door, as if the door itself was the skunk. Masaomi chuckled at Izaya's reaction, before getting closer to him – even if his nose begged him not to – and whispered, "It might be asleep so be quiet so we don't wake it up, okay? It'll make our job easier." Izaya nodded and motioned for the blonde to go on.

Masaomi slowly opened the door, glad that the hinges didn't creak. He entered the room slowly, with Izaya following right behind him. The two scanned the room for the dreaded creature, instantly finding him lying beside Izaya's fallen trashcan, asleep, much to their relief. The two slowly tipped toed closer, not wanting to make a sound. Masaomi flipped the box so that the opening was facing the floor and raised it. Once they were hovering over the animal, it seemed to notice their shadows on it for it opened its eyes and screeched. In a panic, Masaomi dropped the box right on top of it, promptly saving them from the spray that was just about to hit them. The two teens sighed in relief, but their relief was short for the skunk started moving around with the box on top of its head. It bumped into the startled Masaomi, causing him to fall on top of Izaya in a rather suggestive position.

Izaya realized what type of position they were in and smirked, "Why, hello there, Kida-kun! So nice of you to drop by~!"

The blonde flushed and scowled, rolling off of the smirking male. "Shut up!"

While the two had been distracted, the skunk had went running out the door and down the stairs. It must have wandered into the kitchen for Mairu and Kururi's scream echoed throughout the house. "Crap! It got away while we were distracted. Come on, Izaya!" Masaomi jumped up and went flying down the stairs, two at a time. He slammed the kitchen door open, only to see Mairu and Kururi clutching each other while standing on top of the counter. "Masa-nii! Save us!" They cried, while the skunk kept trying to get the box off his damned head.

Masaomi nodded and ran over to where the skunk was and managed to stop the skunk from taking the box off just at the last second. Masaomi sat on top of the box, releasing another sigh of relief, but this time stayed on guard. Meanwhile, the girls stay on top of the counter, too afraid that they'll get sprayed again to come down. "Mairu, Kururi, get _off_ the counter." Izaya ordered.

"Let them be, Izaya. Just help me over here." Izaya crouched down beside the blonde, "With what, exactly, my dear?"

"Go and grab the cover for this box so that I can try and trap him inside. Mairu, Kururi. I want you to call the exterminators and tell them that we already have the skunk trapped. We just need them to take it away." Masaomi gave out orders, completely ignoring the fact that Izaya called him _dear_.

The Orihara siblings nodded in understanding towards the blonde before all getting to work on their assigned jobs. Masaomi listened to the twins talk on the phone with the exterminator, while trying to come up with a plan to successfully put the cap on the box without the skunk getting out. "Masa-nii, he said he'd be here in ten minutes." Masaomi nodded while Izaya walked in, cap in hand.

"Alright, you girls can stay up there. Izaya, I want you—" Izaya snickered, earning the blonde a confused frown, before he flushed and glared, continuing his sentence. "to help me trap this bastard, you bastard." Izaya just laughed before nodding, "Yes, my love." Once again, Masaomi ignored the name.

Before Masaomi stood up, he turned to the twins, "Actually, do you have a flashlight?" Kururi nodded and went rummaging through the drawer beneath her, tossing the blonde a flashlight, just as he asked. Masaomi inhaled a breath, before turning to look at Izaya, "You ready?" When the male nodded, Masaomi jumped up and flipped the box back over, so that the top was facing them. The skunk jumped out and shrieked at them, but Masaomi aimed the light beam in its face, this time earning a pained shriek from the animal. Masaomi dropped the light and grabbed the skunk throwing it in the box, "Izaya now!" Izaya then slammed the cover over the box, promptly shutting the box and preventing the skunk any sort of escape.

The four teens let out relieved sighs simultaneously; all of them taking a seat on whatever surface lay beneath them. "Masa-nii, Kuru-nee and I got the liquid ready while you two were busy." They said, handing the blonde said bottle filled about halfway. Masaomi nodded and went back to tapping on his phone, "it'd be recommended for you guys to get sprayed without your clothes, that way it can actually get rid of the smell on you instead of your clothes. Oh, by the way, you have to really rub it on yourself. Afterwards, you guys have to shower." Everyone nodded in understanding; Mairu grabbed the bottle back and ran into the restroom with Kururi following close behind, yelling back, "We call going first!"

The two males remained sitting down at the table, both exhausted from that recent skunk attack. "…Do you know how to get the smell out of the house? Or more specifically, my room?" Izaya asked the blonde who pulled out his phone again, "Says place open containers of vinegar in room corners or adjacent to any affected furniture. Apparently, the vinegar should absorb the odor over the course of the next day or two."

Izaya sighed and nodded, getting up from his spot in order to prepare the bowls of vinegar while the twins took care of their odor. Masaomi got up to help, wanting to get rid of the smell almost as much as they did. By the time the two males had finished placing bowls of vinegar all over the house; the twins had finished their showers and ran over to the blonde, glomping him, shouting with glee. "Masa-nii! We no longer smell, right?!" Masaomi almost toppled over, if it weren't for Izaya helping keep him steady. "Yeah, you guys smell great!" They jumped off of him and went cheering around the room, fist bumping the air.

Before Masaomi could do anything else, Izaya grabbed onto his wrist, grinning mischievously, "Hey, Kida-kun. How about you help me out~?" The blonde gulped, fearful of what it was exactly Izaya wanted help with, "Help you with what?"

"You said this liquid needs to be rubbed on our bodies really well, riiiight? I can't do that myself. There _are_ some places on my body that I can't reach. Why don't you help me with that? If you'd like, we can even take a shower together, doesn't that sound fun?"

Masaomi flushed and spluttered, trying and failing to set free his wrist from Izaya's evil clutches, "N-No! You can do it yourself! You're practically an adult, you pervert!" Masaomi made swatting motions towards Izaya, only to have his other wrist captured by Izaya's – strangely a comforting warmth – wrap itself around his wrist. "Just do my back for me, won't you? If it bothers you so much, I'll keep my lower half covered until you leave. Deal?"

Masaomi narrowed his eyes towards the older male, ready to protest, but found he couldn't. Don't get the wrong idea! It wasn't because as soon as he stared into Izaya's eyes, he lost all control over himself, good God no. None of that sappy romance stuff. It's just the _smell_ was _killing_ him. Begrudgingly, he looked down and muttered, "…Fine."

This response obviously pleased the older male, for he dragged the rather unhappy blonde towards the restroom, letting go of the nicely toned wrists in favor of ridding himself of his shirt – that Izaya was more than glad to get rid of, for it _reeked._ Tossing his shirt into the laundry basket by the door, he turned towards the blonde with a smirk, "I apologize, Kida-kun. I know that you absolutely love what you see, but the stench is starting to bother me and I'd like to get rid of it as soon as possible, so if you wouldn't mind, could you get started?"

Masaomi was jolted out of his thoughts, cheeks flushing a dark red color once again, glaring at the male, rudely snatching the bottle from Izaya's outstretched hand, "Shut up! You're _not_ _that great._" This caused Izaya to laugh, "So you admit you were staring?"

"What—No! I just—I—I just was—Ah! Forget it! Let's just get this over with! Hurry up and turn around!" The fuming blonde ordered, which Izaya happily obeyed to. He was telling the truth earlier. He _really_ did want to get rid of this retched stench.

Hesitantly, Masaomi slathered his hands with the liquid and placed his wet hands onto Izaya's toned – not that he'd admit it – back. He slowly started running his hands in circles, up and down, on the warm skin. While he did so, he was whisked away into his thoughts once again. He was trying to find an answer as to why Izaya's skin was so warm. At first, he had thought the male's skin would be ice cold – probably thanks to his personality. His assumptions were false though. Izaya's skin temperature was the exact opposite of ice cold, they were comfortingly warm. Almost like a chimney fire on a cold winter day. It was pure bliss. The blonde could find himself enjoying the warmth way more than he should have. If Izaya noticed the change, he didn't comment.

Masaomi more or less returned to reality and started spreading the mixture other places than just that one section of his back. He moved it up onto his shoulders and between his shoulder blades, making sure to coat that well before moving up to the nape of his neck, then all the way down to the older male's hips and to the waist line of his pants. While the blonde did so, he must've gotten lost in thought again, for he was surprised when Izaya suddenly turned around, pinning him to the sink with his own hips. "What are you—"

Before the blonde could properly finish his sentence, a pair of lips were against his own in a heartbeat. To say he was shocked, was merely an understatement. _That_ certainly wasn't what he had been expecting. Unlike their first shared kiss, Izaya didn't pull away right away. No, on the contrary actually, Izaya kept their lips locked in a chaste kiss. Masaomi had regained his senses much quicker than the previous time, for he tried pushing the raven haired male away, only he wouldn't budge. If anything, Izaya just pushed himself against the blonde more the more he tried ending their kiss.

Oh, but that didn't mean he'd give up. Who do you take Masaomi for? He sure as hell wasn't about to let Izaya have his way.

Masaomi clenched his fist before throwing a punch towards the older male's gut, only to have it be countered. Izaya tightly grasped the blonde's wrist, forcing the blonde to place his palms on his chest. In order to get the blonde to succumb to his kisses, Izaya grinded his hips against the blonde's, creating some friction between them. This successfully caused the blonde to gasp; giving the older full access into the younger's mouth. The sensation of their tongues against each other had the blonde's defenses crumbling into pieces. He quit resisting, allowing Izaya to do as he pleased just this once. Masaomi swore to himself, that this would be the only time he'd let Izaya do as he wished.

When the blonde quit resisting his attempts at a kiss, the Orihara male found it easier to go through with the affectionate gesture, no doubt since the blonde was actually cooperating, meaning he was kissing back. Izaya released his hold on the blonde's wrists in favor of placing his palms on the cool marble counter behind the blonde. Masaomi subconsciously ran his hands all over the others chest once his hands were free, touching every single nook and cranny that was accessible to him in the small space left between them, which appeared to be getting smaller and smaller by the passing second, since Izaya kept pushing himself flush against the madly blushing blonde.

Taking their proximity into account, there was bound to be some accidental friction ignited, which there was. The sensation of another grinding against him was new to the blonde, for he had never had any sexual interaction, not even a kiss – until now. Hence, the blonde couldn't help but release a rather embarrassing moan into the elder's mouth, as they still continued their kiss. Izaya's horrid stench was long ago forgotten, since the two males barely paid any attention to it. Too lost in each other's kisses.

Their hands had started roaming lower and lower on each other's bodies. Masaomi's hands were currently clenched inside Izaya's dark hair, roughly pulling on it – Izaya didn't seem to mind the clenching though. Meanwhile, Izaya's hands were pressed against the blonde's back, near his tail bone, pushing the blonde flush against him. Sometime during their heated actions, Izaya had lifted the blonde onto the counter, nudging the blonde's thighs open so that the older could slide his way through, in order to get closer to the blonde.

Of course, as all living beings do, the two needed air, thus they pulled apart, gasping for air. They rested their foreheads against each other as they panted, trying to get their breathing back to normal, which really didn't take that long. Once Izaya had regained his breath, he leaned in for another kiss, only to have Masaomi turn away and push the elder away. The blonde didn't say anything, instead he hopped off the counter and rushed out of the tiny room, face flushed a lovely shade of scarlet. Izaya watched as the blonde rushed out, finding amusement in the sight. He chuckled, before removing the rest of his clothes and proceeding with lathering himself with the necessary liquid, soon hopping into the shower to remove the liquid.

_Things are going according to plan much quicker than I originally expected many thanks towards that skunk. It's no big worrying matter. As long as my goals get accomplished, everything will be fine. But for now, I must concentrate on getting rid of this smell._

_DuRaRaRa!_

Masaomi didn't stop walking once he was away from the restroom, no, he kept going, heading straight for the front door. "Masa-nii? Where are you—" Mairu called out to him, but he completely ignored her – not that he wanted to be mean or anything. He just couldn't deal with anyone right now. Not after what…transpired with Izaya.

Slamming the front door to the Orihara residence shut, Masaomi stomped over to the Ryugamine residence, his cheeks all the way to the tip of his ears flushing a bright red. He slammed the front door to Mikado's house closed, startling Mikado who had been sitting on the floor in front of the couch, and working on his homework. "Masaomi? How'd it go? Did you figure out—"

Masaomi didn't wait to hear what else Mikado had to say, or pay any attention to his worried yet curious look. He practically sprinted up the stairs and into his room, locking the door behind him and collapsing onto his bed. Blood was still rushed into his face and lower regions, slowly but surely, his blood stream was going back to normal. Doesn't mean he wasn't embarrassed still. He was honestly having a hard time processing everything that just happened. Just thinking back on what happened had the blonde flushing darker shades of red, if humanly possible.

He made a mental note to apologize to Mairu, Kururi, and Mikado later for ignoring them when he rushed out. They didn't deserve that rudeness, since they had done nothing wrong. Of course, Masaomi didn't want them seeing him in that ridiculous embarrassing state. Speaking of which, he pulled out his phone and texted Mikado, telling the shorter male to tell the twins to let him know when they were ready, so he could take them to school. Hey, he had made a promise and sure as hell was ready to keep it.

After getting an understanding and non-questioning okay from Mikado, Masaomi set his phone beside him on the bed and slowly started dozing off. Normally, he'd be glad that he'd be falling asleep, but right now, he was a bit unsettled. Every time he closed his eyes, a certain someone would pop into his head. Their previous actions being reenacted behind his closed eyes, much to his embarrassment. Luckily, he did manage to pass out, albeit his thoughts were filled to the brim with nothing other than Izaya – much to his misfortune.

_Damn you, Izaya…._

_DuRaRaRa!_

"Masa-nii! Wake up!" Suddenly, he was glomped by a rather heavy person, by the voice who had called him mere moments ago, he had a pretty good guess at who it was that was lying on top of him, practically suffocating him. Groaning, he sleepily opened one eye, moving it to look at Mairu, "Mairu…? How'd you get in here? I thought I locked the door…Wait, what are you even doing here?"

Mairu blinked, before giggling. "Kuru-nee and I know how to pick a lock when we need to! Did you forget, silly? You agreed to walk us to school! Oh, and…you got a little something right around here." She pointed to the corner of her lip, giggling once again.

Masaomi furrowed his brows in confusion, before touching the corner of his lip, where she had instructed. His eyes widened and his cheeks went a light pink in embarrassment, before he grinned sheepishly and wiped the drool away. Clearing his throat, he sat up and tried shoving – albeit gently – Mairu off of him. Much to his relief, she jumped off of him instantly upon request. "Right, give me a second to gather my things, okay? Meet me downstairs." The three – three being Mairu, Kururi, and Mikado – nodded their heads in understanding, before retreating downstairs, allowing the blonde to do what he needed in privacy.

Getting out of bed, the first thing Masaomi did was stretch, letting out a satisfied sigh when his bones popped in all the right places. The blonde headed to his private restroom, – that he was still all excited about – taking care of everything in there, before he grabbed his bag and headed downstairs to join the girls and Mikado. "Alright, I'm ready. What time is it anyways?"

"It's exactly three past seven! Normally, it takes Kuru-nee and I about thirty or less minutes to arrive at school. To get to our school to yours is about a twenty minute walk at normal speed. So, you should have about ten minutes to spare before your classes start." Mairu helpfully answered _all_ questions he might've had, much to his relief.

"Alright, well, let's get going. See you later, Mikado!" The blonde waved towards his childhood best friend, before walking out the door with Mairu and Kururi leading the way. It was only when the blonde was almost halfway towards their school when he remember that he had to apologize to them about earlier. He made a note to apologize to Mikado whenever he saw the male next. "Hey, guys? I just wanted to say sorry for ignoring you in the morning. When I rushed out of your house and all?"

Mairu and Kururi, who had been happily chatting away about some sort of gossip, turned to look at the blonde, exchanging glances, before grinning and giving him a thumb up. "Nah, don't worry about, Masa-nii! We don't mind! What exactly happened though? When we saw Iza-nii after his shower, he seemed in a happier mood, and not just because the smell was gone. It was kinda creepy…"

Masaomi adverted his gaze, scratching his cheek awkwardly, "Uh…He was just being a douche and I got upset it?" That excuse sounded so fake, even to the blonde. He was sure that the twins wouldn't believe him and continue to press, but for some odd reason. They didn't. They looked unsure of themselves, but they didn't comment. Strangely enough.

The three of them went into a complete comfortable silence, until the twins – or more accurately Mairu – could no longer handle the silence, and started up a new topic. "So, Masa-nii, do you have any plans for the twenty-third of November? For our Labor Thanksgiving Day?"

The blonde racked his brain, trying to think if he did, in fact, have plans for that day. Soon after the question was asked, he shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I guess I'll just do what Mikado has planned. Why?"

The twins grinned, exchanging looks once again. No doubt communicating in their weird way. "Great! That means you can celebrate it with us!"

Masaomi raised a brow, walking faster so that he would stand in between the twins as they walked, in order to have a proper conversation. "What do you guys do for the holiday?"

"Well, we go around thanking workers. Oh, but not just the main ones like policemen, firefighters, and hospital workers like people usually do! We go and thank anyone who is a working person. Like the grocery store, restaurants, you name it!" Mairu shouted, but the blonde didn't seem to mind. He was actually glad that she was excited for the holiday. Not many people these days actually take the time to thank the people of their country for what they do.

"Around dinner time, we head home and have a feast. The day before Labor Thanksgiving, we all cook whatever we want to eat on that day. After we eat, we sometimes play games or watch television together. It's probably the only time Iza-nii can stand us." Kururi added, smiling just as big as her sister.

Masaomi nodded his head in understanding, sending them a big smile. "Sounds great! I'll make sure to attend! Ah, wait. Two questions. Are you guys throwing a big party that day like for Halloween? Also, _you_ two are cooking, riiiight?"

The girls giggled at his last question, deciding to answer that question first. "Yup! Kuru-nee, Iza-nii, and I all cook the day before! Weren't you listening? Believe it or not, Iza-nii is actually a really good cook! He says he doesn't care about us, but he's always making us food to eat. He actually takes the time to make it delicious too! When he's not pissed at us or in a grouchy mood at least…"

"We're not throwing a party. We never do for Labor Thanksgiving Day. We occasionally do it for Christmas, but when we do, it's usually a couple of days before the holiday. Iza-nii prefers that we spend Christmas with just the three of us. He's sweet that way…Occasionally. You should celebrate Christmas with us this year." Kururi answered the blonde's first question, after Mairu answered his first.

"Is he really _that_ great a cook? Guess I'll have to make him cook for me sometime…" He took everything else they said into mind, "I can't imagine Izaya being 'sweet' as you guys are saying, but I can understand the occasionally part. If Labor Thanksgiving and Christmas are holidays where you three actually spend family bonding time, are you sure you want me to come? I wouldn't want to mess it up for you guys…"

Mairu and Kururi waved his worry away, "No, you should come, Masa-nii! You're practically family as it is! To be honest, I'm sure Iza-nii wants you to come too, huh Kuru-nee?" Kururi nodded, giving the blonde a pleading look. He couldn't as well just decline their offer, especially with the way they were looking at him, so pleadingly. Releasing a sigh, he nodded. "Alright, I'll go. If you guys want me to help with the cooking and decorations or what not, let me know, okay?"

The girls squealed in excitement, "Great! Oh, can you _even_ cook, Masa-nii?"

The blonde gulped, shrugging, "Eh…Sort of? I had to cook a lot for myself and the younger kids. They seemed to enjoy my cooking a lot, always asking for seconds. So, I suppose I'm a good cook?"

Mairu and Kururi hummed thoughtfully, "Cook something for us after school today and we'll be the judges of whether or not you're a good cook. Deal?"

Masaomi grinned challengingly, nodding his head and stopping in front of the school gate. Having arrived and getting ready to head to Raira. "You have yourself a deal. Think about what you want me to make you guys during school today, alright?"

The girls nodded and started walking into their school, "We'll see you later at home, Masa-nii!"

He stood there, waving them goodbye until they were out of sight, before he started walking towards Raira. "Cooking, huh? Haven't done that in awhile. Ever since I arrived here actually. Wonder if they'll like it…"

_DuRaRaRa!_

When Masaomi arrived at school, he headed straight for his first class, deciding to just chill for the remaining ten or so minutes he had left until school officially started in Celty's classroom. Opening the door, he gave an acknowledging nod to Celty, who was seated at her desk, tapping away on her phone. "Yo, teach." She gave a wave in return, before returning to her phone screen, texting whomever it was that she was texting. Shinra probably.

Masaomi collapsed into his seat with an exhausted yawn, glancing over towards Izaya's seat, apprehensively. Memories of what happened in the bathroom earlier that morning came rushing back, making him nervous. He didn't know how to communicate with Izaya after that, everything just seemed so awkward between them now. Or more so awkward for Masaomi. If what the twins said was true, Izaya was all giddy about it. _The bastard probably planned it…_

"Hey, Masaomi!"

Blinking, said blonde turned to face whom it was that had called him, confusion evident on his face, not having really paid attention to what the voice sounded like, only catching his name. "Y-Yatabe?! You have this class too? How did I never notice until now?!"

Yatabe laughed at the blonde's reaction, shoving his hands in his purple coat pockets. Yatabe was dressed in some regular blue jeans, paired with some gray and black shoes. He wore a yellow shirt, covered by a purple coat. On his head, was a regular yellow bandana, keeping his hair back and out of his face. "Yeah, we share this class. As well as a few others if I'm not mistaken. You probably never noticed 'cause you were busy with Orihara." The male teased, earning a pout from the blonde. "Yeah, whatever. Or maybe it was because you were so unnoticeable." He joked.

"Hey! I'm like, the most popular guy here!" Yatabe joked back. "Anyways, just came over here to say hi. Oh, the guys have a few classes with us too. See them? They're over there, playing video games. You should hang with us today at lunch."

Masaomi nodded his head in agreement, "Yeah, sure. Why not?" Before either of them could say anything else, the bell rang, thus Yatabe returned to his seat while other students began piling in, everyone heading to their respective seats. Celty immediately had one of her students take roll call, everyone seemed to be present. Except for a certain little troublemaker and two others. " Last call. Orihara Izaya, Yagiri Namie, and Walker Yumasaki." The female known as Non called, she was about to mark them absent, when suddenly the door flew open and entered the missing three. "Why are you three late?" Non asked, setting a hand on her hip, saving Celty from having to ask.

Walker chuckled, and bowed in apology. "Sorry about that, Ms. Non and Ms. Sturluson. We lost track of time. Forgive us."

Non frowned, "You guys lose track of time _all_ the time. It's unacceptable. You—" Before Non could finish scolding the three, Celty placed her hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze. She quickly typed on her PDA, and showed the screen to the three tardy males, "I'll let it pass just this once more. Be tardy one more time and you three will earn a consequence. Understood?"

The three nodded their heads in understanding, before each of them headed to their respective seats. With that, Non headed back to her seat, sighing while Celty began their lesson for the day. "Alright class, grab your textbooks and a notebook and then open to page four hundred ninety-eight. Quietly read pages four hundred ninety-eight to four hundred fifty to yourselves. Write any details you find important down. We'll be sharing in twenty minutes." Groaning, everyone did as told, getting straight to work.

They were about ten minutes into their work when suddenly Masaomi could feel Izaya staring at the blonde. This obviously set the blonde on guard, but he didn't acknowledge the older male. Instead, he tried his best to focus on his work. Oh, but of course, Izaya would have none of that.

…Or so he thought.

It turned out; Izaya just stared for a few minutes, before promptly turning back to his work and refrained from bothering the blonde for the entire class period. This confused the blonde, for he had fully expected to be teased or embarrassed by Izaya. He was glad yes, but confused as fuck.

Before he knew it, class was over and Masaomi was packing up his things, heading on over to science class. Instead of being accompanied by Izaya like he had been since he started here at Raira, he was accompanied by Yatabe, who happened to have the next class with him. Once again, Masaomi was glad, but confused as a duck walking in on a rabbit and squirrel fucking. …Okay, that may have not been necessary, but it's too late to take back now.

Saki, who had already been in class, motioned the blonde over who dragged Yatabe along. Masaomi greeted the female as he normally would, with a flirtatious smile and a cheesy pickup line. Saki giggled and then questioned who Yatabe was. Yatabe introduced himself afterwards Saki doing the same. Once introductions were over and the three of them were happily chatting away, Izaya entered and sat down beside the blonde, like normal. The oldest of them all greeted Saki, Yatabe, and Masaomi himself with a simple, "Hello," meant for all of them at once. The three of them returned the greeting, before returning to the conversation at hand which was about the upcoming tests. Saki and Yatabe were saying about how they _think _they were ready, while Masaomi complained about how he sure as hell _wasn't._ They teased him, saying how he would be known as the one person in school who received terrible grades. Masaomi pouted and continued to complain to them, until…

"If you'd like, I could tutor you. We live next door to each other anyways." Izaya had spoken to the blonde for the first time since that embarrassing morning – the hello didn't count.

Masaomi turned to face the oldest of their current small group, eyes wide in shock. He quickly adverted his gaze though, giving a nonchalant shrug while trying to keep his face neutral. "I'm sure I got it. If there's anything I don't get I could just ask Mikado…"

"Are you sure? Wouldn't he be busy studying for his own tests? I know he tries his absolute best to keep his grades as high as possibly can be, even on measly tests that hardly count. Plus, wouldn't he be tutoring that one girl he adores? What was her name again…? Ah! That's right! Sonohara Anri."

Masaomi glanced at Izaya, before taking everything into account. Begrudgingly, he nodded. "…Fine, you can tutor me for the upcoming tests. Happy?" Izaya nodded, clapping his hands together, a grin growing onto his face. "Very much so!"

Much to the blonde's relief, class _finally_ started; hence Izaya was prevented from speaking to the blonde since Shinra was being quite strict with them that particular day. Obviously not wanting a repeat of that day with the organs – he wouldn't admit it aloud, but Shinra can still taste the organs. He's quite upset about it too since Celty keeps refusing to kiss him, not that she really did before anyways.

Science period came to an end with no more interaction with Izaya, before the elder could speak to the blonde before next class, he grabbed Yatabe's wrist – since they had next period together – and dragged him off, waving goodbye to Saki. Before he left the room, he could hear Saki question Izaya on what the male did to upset the blonde _this_ time. Izaya had just laughed and said he did nothing wrong. He didn't get to hear what Saki said after that for he left the room before he could. "Wow, what _did_ he do? You seem eager to get away from him!"

Masaomi gave a fake smile, "Do I? Ah, don't worry. Come on, let's just get going. Don't want to be late, do we?" Masaomi then let go of Yatabe's wrist and started heading for his mathematics class, truly feeling eager to get away from the older male, for certain reasons. He knew he'd have to meet up and communicate with the older sooner or later, especially since he already agreed to let Izaya tutor him for the upcoming test. Plus, they _did_ live next door to each other and Masaomi was going to head over later that day for Mairu and Kururi, having agreed to cook for them later today. _I'll worry about that later when the time comes…_

"Senpai! Hurry, over here!" Aoba shouted towards the blonde once he stepped foot inside the classroom. Masaomi obeyed with what was asked of him, finding no reason not to. He assumed Aoba wanted details on why Masaomi texted him at six in the morning, asking about the skunk. He was sure that the shorter male already knew, but wanted confirmation. "Hey, Aoba, Mikado, my lovely Anri, how are—" Before the blonde could properly finish his sentence, he was dragged down onto his chair and was questioned by an excited looking Aoba. "Did the skunk attack work?"

Masaomi grinned mischievously, nodding his head. "It sure as hell did."

Aoba let go of the blonde and cheered, bringing his phone out to no doubt tell Neko and the others from his gang about his success, "Oh, but Aoba. Don't let anyone else besides you and the guys know. Izaya would know that _I_ told people. He wouldn't be too happy and…" _tell people about what happened in the bathroom._

Aoba nodded his head in agreement, typing away on his screen. "Alright, I won't. I'll make sure to tell Neko and the guys too. Rest assured, Senpai. This'll remain a secret." Masaomi gave a thankful nod, ignoring Anri and Mikado's confused looks. Soon, class started and then promptly ended. The four friends headed for the cafeteria, everyone equally hungry. Aoba was forced to stay back and talk about his grades with Mr. Nasujima, no doubt causing Aoba to arrive at the cafeteria with a grumpy mood.

Like earlier promised, Masaomi sat down with Yatabe and his friends', making sure to give the other's a greeting. Instead of sitting inside at a table like he had done with Izaya and Aoba, the group had decided to eat outside by the trees where they normally hung out. The group of males had regular chit chat, talking about whatever suited their current needs. They'd talk about how the Fall Festival went, about grades and tests, about video games, and finally, the gang topic came up. "Hey Masaomi, you aren't in a gang yet, are you?"

Masaomi blinked, shaking his head no to Yatabe's question, "Nah, both Izaya and Aoba have been trying to get me to join their groups though…" Yatabe and everyone else present nodded in understanding, "Who's gang do you plan on joining in the end?" The blonde hummed in thought, before shrugging. "I…I don't really know. I'd personally not have to choose between them, since it'd only piss off one or the other. What about you guys? Which gang are you in?"

They all shared a look, before awkwardly chuckling. "We aren't in a gang, if anything we were thinking about creating our own, but we're having trouble thinking of a name and figuring out who the boss would be."

Masaomi looked from one male to the other, before suddenly throwing out his ideas, "How about the Yellow Scarves? You all seem to like the color yellow, which I totally agree with it, high five!" They all shared high fives, laughing their asses off. Yatabe thought about the name, "Yellow Scarves, huh? Not bad! It actually sounds really nice, huh guys?" Everyone nodded their heads in agreement, trying out the name themselves. They exchanged looks, before nodding. "Say, how would you like to become our boss, Masaomi?"

Masaomi choked on his chocolate milk, gasping for air. Once his lungs were working again, he furrowed his brows, "M-Me? Your boss? Are you sure? I don't think I'd be such a great boss…"

"Yes you. You came up with the name, didn't you? And what are you talking about? You'd make a great boss! You're smart…ish," Masaomi made an offended sound, "can be scary and commanding when needed, sure as hell know how to fight! Uh, uh, don't deny it! We've seen you fight with Vorona!" Masaomi bit onto his bottom lip, unsure of himself. He looked over everyone's pleading faces, before giving in and agreeing. "Fine, I'll be your boss…" They all cheered, and shouted, "The Yellow Scarves are official!"

From behind them, a female voice called out for their attention, all of them faced the female, curious as to who it was and what she needed. "Oh, Rio? What can I help you with?" Masaomi asked, instantly recognizing the female.

Taking a deep breath, she looked determined and then, "I'd like to ask you for a favor."

* * *

**About 13k almost 14k. I hope that makes up for missing two update days. I even updated on Friday instead of Sunday, so you guys could have this chapter sooner. Next update will be on Sunday though - if I have it ready in time, which I'm hoping I will. I also gave you another kiss scene, ayyyye. Their second kiss that ACTUALLY was a proper kiss. I did terrible at the details, but I hoped you guys enjoyed that. C; ****I added more Namie's scenes to this chapter since there were a few people asking me for more scenes with her. (I can feel the Namie love ayyyye.) Okay, let me get this out there, I DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT, know much of Yatabe's character since we hardly ever see him in the anime and I haven't played the game. There doesn't seem to be much about him on the wiki either, thus... I sort of made him into a type of character that I'd like him to be. **

**This is slightly IMPORTANT, it's about the Thanksgiving thing in here. In Japan - where this story is in -****, people celebrate Labor Thanksgiving Day. It's slightly similar to American Thanksgiving (Ugh, I hate Thanksgiving, all those poor turkeys), but with a few differences. Search it up if you're curious. Since I'm not Japanese, I don't know the celebration exactly so I'm sort of mixing the two together. Unless somebody knows more about it than I do and would like to tell me in the review section?**

**Translation (Got it from Google Translate so it may not be accurate):**

**"Vorona, ya dolzhen skazat' vam, snova?!" means "Vorona, must I tell you again?!" in Russian **

**Alright, thanks for reading and sticking with me! I hope you forgive me. Go ahead and rant at me in a review if you'd like. I probably deserve it, ahahaha... Please REVIEW. Reviews are motivation to write. Trying to get reviews, ayyyye.**


	19. Chapter 19

**I _actually_ managed to get the next chapter in on time, hooray! Let's all celebrate! SNORT. Anyways, is anyone watching Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir? If not, you totally shooouuuld~! It's a really good show~! Oh, and thanks for 50 reviews! I appreciate all your feedback and continue hoping to get more! (omg where did everyone go from the review section though? Did I scare them away or something? Please come baaaack~)**

**Disclaimer: DuRaRaRa and anything else mention in this story do _not_ belong to me. Everything belongs to their respectful owners, blah, blah, blah.**

* * *

Chapter 19

The Yellow Scarves Take Action!

"A favor? What type of favor exactly?" The new gang boss curiously asked, turning around properly to face her without having to make a ninety degree turn with his neck because it may not look it, but that starts to hurt after a while. In his time that he had spent around the present female, – which was not a lot mind you, on estimation, he probably had been around her only twice – he had thought that she hated his guts with a burning passion. Why, you ask? It was just the way that she talked with and looked at him. Almost as if she was ready to strangle him. Thus, hearing her asking_ him_ for a favor was quite _strange_, to say the least.

Fidgeting in her spot, where she stood before the blonde and the others, she exhaled a shaky breath, her resolve strengthening by the second, "Well, first of all, I'd like to join your gang, if you'd allow me that is. The Yellow Scarves, right?" Rio asked, her apprehension clear in her eyes, while she reached behind her, entangling her arms together. It must've been a nervous habit she had picked up on some time ago.

"You want to join my gang? But, aren't you in the Dollars?"

"Yes, is that a problem? I'd like to resign from the Dollars and join you and your gang instead." She furrowed her brows, seemingly in thought. Suddenly, she burst out, when an understanding thought popped into her head, "Ah! I'm not trying to spy on you guys for the Dollars or anything! I'm being honest, I swear!"

Seeing the female suddenly panic caused the gang leader's lips to quirk up into a small smile, "Relax, I understand, I understand. We just formed like, three minutes ago. So, you couldn't possibly be planning to join just to spy on us for them. Unless, you're like, this psychic person and looked into the future to see us creating this gang. Now, _that_ would be cool!" The blonde let out a joyful laugh, finding the entire thing absolutely hilarious. "Anyways, I think it's really up to everyone else. I'll let you join, just as long as they want to let you in." With that said, he turned to face Yatabe and the others, "Well, guys?"

As soon as the attention was on them, they exchanged glances, before grinning and nodding, motioning for Yatabe to speak for them, which he gladly did – Masaomi assumed that Yatabe loved hearing himself talk, not that he'd admit it aloud. "You're the boss, boss! You get to decide! Whatever you choose, we're content with!"

After hearing their response, Masaomi turned back to face the awaiting female, humming thoughtfully while observing her calculatingly, before finally nodding his head in agreement, "I think it'd be fine if you joined us. After all, the more the merrier, right? Besides, I'd love to have a gorgeous female such as yourself a part of our group. It starts to get boring when it's just us men, you know what I mean?" He playfully winked at Rip, his flirtatious demeanor returning almost instantaneously.

Once the blonde's – or more accurately, her new boss's – words of agreement registered inside her mind, she released a sigh of relief without a second though, sending him a rather grateful smile. "Thank you, Ki—er, boss."

His playful and flirtatious smile instantly turned into a pout, while he waved away the formalities, "Just call me Kida. Or Masaomi. Or yours!" He winked once again; snickering at her flustered face with, was he mistaken or was that an unimpressed look he saw in her eyes? Meh, he wouldn't be surprised either way.

"….Right. Anyways, I have another request for you, boss—I mean, Kida-kun?" Rio instantly took it upon herself to correct the way she addressed him, taking notice of the look of annoyance that had appeared on his face once she uttered the word, _boss_. Apparently, it would take some getting used to for the blonde, being called boss and all. Anyways, Masaomi's annoyance aside, hearing that she had yet another request of him startled him as well as piqued his interest, "And that would be…?" He trailed off, sipping from the straw he had situated inside his apple juice box mere seconds ago.

"It may seem sudden, but I'd like you to announce the beginning of a war with Izaya—the Dollars in other words." Well, she was right about one thing. Her request _was_ sudden. What she had asked of him had Masaomi's eyes widened to the size of saucers. It also caused him to choke on the apple juice he had been slurping down. Once he managed to get his lungs working properly once again,—thank God too! – he looked at her almost as if she had been saved by some urban legend, like a Dullahan or something. "Why?!"

At his –rather loud— questioning shout, she was a bit taken back, to be perfecting honest. If she was to be perfectly honest once again, she'll admit that she had been expecting him to just agree with her request, as childish and selfish that belief may seem to others. She no doubt thought that way from how little she knew the blonde. Rio had merely taken her prior knowledge on gangs to come up with that conclusion. "W-Why?" She asked, trying to clarify that she had, indeed heard the blonde correctly, only to have him nod, his curiosity and confusion shining in his two beautiful colored eyes – not that Rio thought they were beautiful, good God no. Don't get the wrong idea! No, more like she thought they were an interesting shade and mixture of gold and brown. You'd understand if you took the time to look at his eyes. "W-Well, to be honest I—Wait! First of all, how do you feel about Izaya?" She asked, suddenly invading his personal space.

"H-How I feel about Izaya? Why do you ask?" He asked awkwardly, scooted back slightly – not that he could go far, leaning against a tree and all. It's not that he did not like the idea of a woman – especially one as pretty as Rio – getting all up into his personal space. He was a playboy after all, he lived for that sort of thing. He just…How would one word this? He just felt awkward about their current predicament, he supposed. No doubt thanks to the day's earlier events that involved him, Izaya, and a bathroom. For some unknown and he'll admit embarrassing reason, when Rio leaned in close – almost as if she was about to kiss him – he imagined Izaya in her place instead. He didn't know why such things happened either, it just…did. It bothered him too. "Just answer the question, Kida-kun. It's important. It'll help me decide whether or not I should tell you. Maybe I should've asked you this first…"

Confused. Oh, so very confused. That is what Masaomi currently felt right now. "O…kay? Uh, let's see…How I feel about Izaya, right?" He hummed thoughtfully, getting consumed by his thoughts. _How **do** I feel about Izaya? What does Rio even mean by 'how do you feel'? Like, is she asking if I consider him a classmate, friend, or more?_ At the _or more_ part, he flushed slightly in embarrassment, but immediately tried his hardest getting the blood back to flowing normally, not just attacking his face. He didn't want her to get the wrong idea about his feelings or sexuality after all. _What even is my sexuality anymore? Straight, right? Or am I… _Masaomi groaned, shaking his head. What was with him today? What was up with thoughts too? For some odd and slightly disturbing reason, Izaya kept popping back up. "Mind clarifying your question for me?"

Blinking, Rio titled her head, obviously confused at his request for her to clarify. "Clarify…?" The blonde gave a nod of his head in confirmation, looking away in embarrassment, trying his absolute best to get rid of those unnecessary thoughts, "Well, I suppose my main question is, do you hate him or not?" Masaomi nodded his head in understanding, muttering a quick thanks for clarifying under his breath. Geez, he was embarrassed at how far away his thoughts had drifted from her question. "I don't necessarily hate him, but I don't necessarily like him either. Why are you asking anyways?"

Rio, who had by now sat herself down beside the blonde who rested against the tree, bit onto her bottom lip in thought, trying to figure out how she'd put her thoughts into words no doubt. She fidgeted in her spot, while twirling her thumbs in her lap. "Would you be willing to fight him to the death if needed?" She asked, not raising her head.

Furrowing his brows in obvious confusion, the blonde tilted his head to the side, "Why would I need to do that? Izaya and I are friends, I think… I really don't think we'd ever have to fight to the death—" Before he could properly finish wording his concerns, Rio seized his shoulders, glaring and shaking him back and forth, "How?! He is _nothing _but a _bastard_! Izaya, he just…He…He—" Rio went silent, lowering her head once again, trying her hardest to keep her emotions in check, not wanting to burst into tears in front of the blonde.

Hesitantly, the gang leader reached for her wrists, gently prying them off of his shoulders and giving her a questioning concerned look instead, "I take it you don't like Izaya very much, do you? Well, I can't exactly blame ya there…" At the last few words he uttered, Rio made eye contact again, "See?! He's terrible! I'm sure he's just using you for whatever plan he has too!"

Masaomi furrowed his brows in confusion, albeit he'd admit that there was curiosity hidden behind that confusion too. "Too? Did something happen between you two in the past, Rio?" Rio jolted in surprise, not noticing her own slip-up that revealed some of her past. The past she worked so hard to keep hidden and away from everyone's prying ears, "What exactly happened, Rio? If you don't mind me asking that is…"

Rio frowned, before ultimately giving up and deciding that it would be best to inform the blonde what happened in her past, to tell him why she hated Izaya so much. Especially if she was expecting his help in getting revenge against said male. Hesitantly, she looked at the other males surrounding them, not sure if she was comfortable telling them her humiliating story, "Um, if you guys wouldn't mind, could you please leave?"

Yatabe and the others all blinked in surprise, exchanging unsure of themselves glance, before looking towards Masaomi, looking for some sort of guidance on what they should do. Instead, the blonde shook his head and stood up, taking his tray with him. "If it is something you'd prefer speaking about in private, then I'll excuse myself from them. It wouldn't be fair otherwise, would it? You guys can continue eating; I'll talk with you all later, okay?" He moved to a nearby trash bin, tossing his Styrofoam tray in the trash, before following the female to wherever it is she was headed.

Rio led the blonde to a secluded area behind the gym, where they could have some privacy. Masaomi leaned against the outer wall of the gym, shoving his hands in his pockets, raising his brows in curiosity, waiting to hear her story. "You see, I first met Izaya back in my last year of middle school, so last year to clear things up. He was visiting my school because—to be honest, I'm not exactly sure why. He said s-something about how his sisters got in a fight with some of my classmates or something." Masaomi snickered, finding that to be _just _like Mairu and Kururi. "He had come to return their belongings. They exchanged a few words and whatever Izaya said, angered them. If I remember correctly, they fought a little too. Izaya then left, but not before saying that he'd see me around later.

Oh! I didn't mention what I was doing with him in the first place, now did I? Sorry about that… I was heading to the office because—I don't even remember why, but when I got there, there he was, talking to the principal. Since the students he needed and I were in the same class, or near each other's classes, I was asked to take him there. Since it was the principal, I could not just go and refuse, so I did. We made small chit chat on the way there, but I couldn't help but be on constant guard around him. Just the vibe he gave off didn't cease to put me on edge." She shivered, but whether it was from the cold or the memories, Masaomi didn't know.

"Like he had said, he came back and we chatted a lot. I didn't think much of it after a while. I guess I was just really happy to be getting a friend, even if he was older than me and honestly kinda creepy. All my life, I wasn't able to get friends easily, believe it or not. I had instantly begun to regret not being more on guard after he betrayed me and my trust. He told my secrets to everyone in the school. I didn't even know how he learned most of it! He knew _everything_ about me! Even some secrets about my parents that I had no idea about! He invaded my privacy and—" She took a deep breath, before releasing it.

"…I had then decided suicide would be the best option." Rio didn't fail to notice the blonde's eyes widen in surprise at her words, but he didn't interject his opinions or anything just yet, knowing he should just allow her to finish her story first, which she was truly grateful for. If he had talked, she'd probably lose her motivation to speak her mind.

"Right when I was getting ready to jump off the roof of a building not too far from the school, he appeared out of nowhere and started telling me all these things again. He kept talking about how he knew I'd resort to suicide and how I was such a predictable person, a stupid human. He complained about how I was no fun whatsoever. How he needed someone to amuse him better. I did _nothing_ but prove to him how foolish humans really were. He kept telling me, 'you can't do it; you don't have the courage to jump'! He then left and I felt this need to prove him wrong. So, I jumped.

But as you can obviously tell, I'm still alive. Thanks to Celty. She had caught me before I could lose my life. We both went plummeting to the ground, but thankfully no major serious injuries. Just a few scratches and bruises. I'm still so surprised that she had managed to catch me at the height I fell from. She must have been used to Izaya making people jump off roofs. Anyways, I sent in an application to attend Raira and managed to get in. There, I soon met _him_ and started planning my revenge _instantly_. I've tried to figure out ways to get back at him in the months we've been here, but I can't seem to find anything. But then you transferred here. I instantly noticed how much of a liking he took towards you. How he was practically fighting against everyone just to keep you and your attention on him. Almost as if… no, never mind. Anyways, I figured I'd ask you for your help. Since you two are so close and he appears to trust you with everything he has…"

After she stopped talking, Masaomi figured it was his turn to interject his own thoughts and opinions about everything she just told him, "Rio—" He started but was interrupted by her sudden shout, "I know! It just sounds like my pathetic way of getting revenge using others! I sound so selfish and childish, don't I?! But please, Masaomi! I'm begging you! Help me get back at him!" Rio hugged herself, try to prevent any broken sounding sobs or tears from coming out. She believes she's shown enough weakness in front of the blonde, hasn't she?"

The blonde bit onto his bottom lip in apprehensive thought, not knowing how to respond to her pleas. Finally, he released a sigh, running his hand through his dyed hair. "Rio, listen. I heard your pleas and story loud and clear, but…I can't do what you're asking me—"

"Why not?!"

He blew out an annoyed breath, hating to be interrupted so many times, but he tried keeping his attitude in check. No way could he yell at a girl who was near tears after all. "For many reasons, Rio. First of all, we, the Yellow Scarves, don't have that many members in our gang. We _literally _just formed like a couple of minutes ago! Second, this _is_ Izaya. He and I just got over this argument of sorts. He's a pain in my ass as it is and I'd rather not get on his bad side. Especially since we live right next door to each other and have almost every other class with each other. Third, not to be mean or anything, but this is _your_ problem. You shouldn't rely on others to deal with it for you. Life doesn't work that way and I'm sure you wouldn't be satisfied. I'd love to help you, but there are too many risks. I'm mainly concerned about Yatabe and the others getting involved in anything they don't want. You understand what I'm saying?"

Rio had remained silent while he talked, before she finally inhaled a deep breath and, "If they agree to help, would you?" He gave a small, yet noticeable shrug, "I suppose, but I won't force them. Then there's the problem with not enough members—"

"Then I'll talk to them! Tell them everything I told you and if they agree, then I'll try and find you some more members! I'm sure I can do it! So please lend me your assistance. I promise I'll make it up to you in the end! Once everything is taken care of! _Please, please, please, please, please, please—"_

"Alright, alright! I heard you on the first please!" He chuckled a bit, before getting serious again, "But all of our gang has to agree with helping you, okay? Not just me, or three or four of them. _Absolutely everyone._ Understood?"

"I understand." With that, they headed to their separate classes for the bell had rung, signaling the end of lunch. Both of them had their recent discussion fresh in their heads, and both could only hope things would go well. For both of them.

_What the hell am I getting myself in to…?_

_DuRaRaRa! !_

"So, what were you and dear Rio talking about, hm?"

The newly crowned leader of the Yellow Scarves jumped in surprise at the sudden smooth voice and creepy smirking expression that belonged to the male who he and Rio had just been talking about, coincidentally. Once his heart rate was back to its normal pace, he gulped, wondering if Izaya had overheard any of their conversation. For Rio's sake, he sure as hell hoped not. "Izaya? What are you doing here? Don't scare me like that!"

"Ahh, so you are willing to talk to me again? Lovely!" Izaya pushed himself off the wall that he had been leaning against and moved so that he stood directly in front of the blonde, leaning over ever so slightly, so that he would be eye-to-eye with Masaomi. Not that said blonde was _that_ much shorter than Izaya. "Anyways, before you start complaining about how I didn't answer your question – since you always seem to do that. Impatient much? I'm here because I was searching for you, Kida-kun."

This sudden statement obviously spiked the blonde's interest, causing him to instantly ignore Izaya's first few sentences and prevent him from making some sort of snarky remark in response to Izaya's words, "You were looking for me? Why? For what?"

"So glad you asked!" Cue the eye roll, "I was searching for you for many reasons actually. For one, I wanted to head to next class with you. Speaking of which, we probably should continue walking if you don't want to be late." Masaomi jolted in surprise, glancing at the time at the exact same moment Izaya did, cursing and quickly resuming his walk. Walking at a much quicker speed than last time though, Izaya following close behind, while he continued talking of course, "Second, I heard you were going to be cooking for Mairu and Kururi today."

"You did? Where did you learn that from?"

"Mairu and Kururi kept texting me different types of foods during lunch break. It was honestly a pain. They didn't stop until I asked them what it was all for. Well, it actually didn't stop what so ever. They're still texting me right now. I can feel the vibrating signaling that I received a new message." Izaya pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance and stress; looking as though he was ready to throw his phone to the floor and hop all over it. Masaomi didn't doubt for a second that he wouldn't do just that.

"Oh… Sorry about that. I didn't expect them to go _that_ far. Anyways, yeah. They invited me to your Thanksgiving celebration and we ended up talking about cooking, who was a good cook and not. I told them how I had to cook a lot back then, so I was relatively good at it. They demanded that I cook them something so they could taste test it." Masaomi finished explaining, just as they arrived at their destination.

"I see, so you're planning on joining us this Thanksgiving?" Izaya asked, humming thoughtfully and clutching onto his chin in thought, following Masaomi who moved to sit beside Aoba and Neko, who had already started waving him over. Once the blonde and Izaya sat down at the table, the two gang members cringed at seeing Izaya, promptly going silent and avoiding eye contact. "I guess so, yeah. They were begging me and everyone knows I can't say no to the female population. If you don't want me to attend I can make up some sort of excuse and apologize to them later. I know it's a family bonding time for you guys, so…"

"Nonsense! I'd love for you to join us, Kida-kun! I'm positive Mairu and Kururi would too! So, you absolutely must join us! You are practically family as it is!" Izaya cheerfully responded, ignoring the distaste that was radiating off of the Blue Squares' members. _I must thank Mairu and Kururi for convincing him to attend…_

Blinking in surprise, Masaomi nodded his head to show he understood what Izaya was saying. To some degree at least. "Alright, I guess I'll attend then…" Before Izaya could respond in any way, the art teacher decided it was time to start class and called Izaya over to help with passing out and whatnot. Of course, much like last time, Izaya was busying helping the other students hence he wasn't able to instantly come back and chat with the blonde as much as he liked. But that did give someone else the chance to come over and chat with the blonde.

"Hey, did you miss me?" Feminine warm arms were snuggly wrapped around his left arm, the limb being pulled closer to a busty chest. Startled at the sudden action, Masaomi turned to face whoever it was, he was surprised to see no other than Namie there, looking at him with an aggravated expression. _What is she—Oh! Riiiight._ "Oh, hey Namie! Yeah, sure did! How could I not miss someone as gorgeous as you?"

Namie looked him up and down, no doubt trying to see if his attire was suitable for her tastes. She must have reckoned it was for she continued with the fake flirting, though it sounded more fake and empty than it really needed to be. "Oh, what a charmer!"

"Well, it _is_ my job to please the ladies, after all!" He didn't need to look around to notice that _all_ eyes were on them. No doubt everyone was confused as to why_ Namie _of _all_ people would be doing something like _that_. The only person she had done something similar to would be her younger brother that almost _everyone_ knew she had a crush the size of Russia on. He made a quick scan, trying to figure out who Seiji was, "Where's your brother?" He quietly whispered so that no one would over hear.

"Does that mean you give _every_ women you come across this _treatment_?" She asked, faking a jealous tone. "Over there at the corner near the front of the room. The gorgeous brunette that_, _that _lowlife Harima_ is crawling all over." She promptly whispered back.

"Not necessarily, no. I give _you_ the best treatment out of them all. You must know with how well I make you—" She covered his mouth with her hands, narrowing her eyes and smiling maliciously. "Now, now. Don't announce our secret relations to the entire class, dear." Gulping, he unlatched her hand from his mouth, nodding. "Sorry, sweetpea." He mentally cringed at how lame that sounded, but she managed to cover it up by snaking her hand downwards, making everyone think that it sounded so lame because she was doing inappropriate things where no one could see it. We all know that wasn't the case though. Namie would _never_ _ever_ do anything like that to anyone who wasn't _Seiji_. Especially _not Masaomi_.

She scratched her rather long and _sharp_ nails into his outer thigh, tracing out the letters to make the three words _ask Seiji something_. He turned his attention to said male, and sent a playful grin, "You're her brother right, Seiji? Do you mind if I steal her away? Would you give me your blessings?"

Seiji made eye contact with the grinning blonde who was trying his absolute best not to wince in pain from the nails being dug into his skin through his jeans. "I'm glad that sis finally found someone she loves. So, yes. You have my blessing or whatever. Just don't break her heart." Seiji said after staring in silence for awhile before promptly turning away and getting back to work on his art project, while having Mika gush all over him. Saying something about how that sounded so brotherly like and how he was so kind and yada, yada, yada. Just Mika babbling on and on again. This didn't seem to accomplish anything except for making Namie upset. She wasn't very pleased with Seiji's response and watching as Mika gushed all over _her_ Seiji didn't fail to rile her up. She made a _hmph_ sound, getting ready to make a retort, before Izaya slammed his hands on the table, smiling a malicious smile. "I do apologize, Namie, but you see, I called dibs on Kida-kun first. Hence, please do untangle yourself from my property and _never_ do something like _that_ _ever _again." That malicious smile never left Izaya's face, causing almost everyone to tense up and gulp in fear, Masaomi himself included.

Namie merely raised a brow, not too intimidated by Izaya and his…Izayaness. No doubt since she knew him for a while and practically was his maid – though she hated it and him with a burning passion—she had grown accustomed to it. "You called dibs…? Oh! No wonder his name sounded so familiar. You mentioned him to me before didn't you?" Izaya nodded, moving around the table to grab onto Masaomi's right arm, practically dragging him away from Namie. Namie didn't seem to mind though, she let go, looking mighty pissed. Not because of Izaya. No, more so because of Seiji and Mika. God, she was ready to punch someone. Normally she wasn't one to do any violence in person. She had to let loose somehow though, right?

"Wait a sec, you called _dibs_ on _me_? I'm your _property_?! What the hell, Izaya? Since when did _I_ become _your_ fucking _property_?!" Masaomi glared, face contorting into a pout. Reckon it's because he wasn't too glad to be considered property.

Of course, Izaya didn't seem to see anything wrong with what he said. Reckon he thought it was nothin' but the truth. "Yes, I called dibs on you. You became mine since I met you that Sunday morning. What has you so riled up, my dear Kida-kun? You must know that you belong to me and only me. Isn't that why you so happily complied with kissing me in that bathroom this morning? You can't say no to me after all."

What Izaya had said about how they shared a kiss this morning had everyone's eyes going wide and letting out surprised gasps. This did nothing but cause Masaomi to flush a dark scarlet and deepen his glare towards the male. He honestly could _not_ believe Izaya just told _everyone_ that. This was Izaya talking. Everyone would no doubt believe him and not listen to a peep Masaomi uttered, much to his misfortune. "T-That—I didn't—" Masaomi tripped over his own words, not knowing how to explain. It didn't help to have everyone's curious eyes on him.

"That, what? I didn't, what? Don't attempt to deny it, Kida-kun. We _all_ know that it is true. Shall we reenact it in front of everyone?" Masaomi yanked his arm out of Izaya's grip, flush going down ever so slightly, "I'll admit that it happened, but I didn't_ willingly_ do it! You _forced_ me into it! You're nothing but a pedo! I tried getting free and leaving, but you wouldn't let me! No way would I ever want to kiss you again either! I feel so violated after what you did. I need some bleach to get rid of all of your rabies. I reckon it still wouldn't work after that though…Unfortunately."

Izaya laughed and laughed, finding the whole thing to be amusing. "Alright, I'll admit that I _did_ force you into it at first, but _you_ were the one who surrendered to my attempts and pushed it a level. What would you have done if we didn't pull away for breath? Would you have gone farther than that? You seemed quite eager and excited to do so. Oh, and for your information, I do not have rabies." Izaya crossed his arms, leaning against the table, looking smug as can be.

"What?! No! I wouldn't have! Unlike you, I'm not the type of person who uses other people for their own sexual pleasure, you bastard! I'm not a child molester like you! You have no idea how I _long_ for the day Shizuo kills you for good." Izaya cocked his head to the side curiously, "What is this I sense? Are you truly into _that_, Kida-kun? Do you enjoy having angry sexual intercourse? My, my, I never pegged you to be that type, but I'm sure I could arrange something."

Masaomi was baffled, "How the hell did you get that idea? Are you really that much of an idot?! I—"

The door was slammed open and in came none other than Kadota himself, looking pissed as can be. "That's enough you two! I don't know what started this, but I have heard _enough_. What did I tell you guys last time you argued?! Was your consequence not enough? Should I _suspend_ you instead? _Expel_ you?!"

"You'd never do that, Dotachin. It's so unlike you. Stop putting up airs—"

Kadota slammed his clenched fist against the wall, shutting everyone up. "Izaya, I'm not playing games here. I told you to leave Kida alone. I don't know what sick twisted game you're playing this time, but leave him alone. For God's sake, be a good role model. Or quit causing so much trouble. This is your last year here. Can't you even be a normal student for the remainder of your time here? Can't you even try?!"

Izaya didn't comment this time, knowing that Kadota was serious this time. He never yelled this much. _Is it really a big deal? I didn't take things too far this time anyway. We just yelled at each other for a few minutes. Geez, you're overreacting, Dotachin. _

Seeing that Izaya wasn't going to say anything, Kadota turned to scold Masaomi, who had been glaring at Izaya the entire time – flush having gone down ages ago. "And you! This is barely your second week here! No, not even! You didn't have a full week last week! This is your what? Fourth day! I'm positive all the people you know have told you that Izaya is nothing but bad news! Listen, Kida. Mikado has told me that you're really a great kid and I believe that, but this behavior is unacceptable. If you two want to have a lover's quarrel, do it somewhere else that isn't school! Take your fights away from campus! Now, I'm not saying go and have brawls. Just…relax. We have a gang system for a reason in this school. Why do you think I created it? Use it! Settle your arguments that way. The Dollars versus the Yellow Scarves. The first battle. Whoever wins this, will settle this petty argument. Understand?"

Masaomi furrowed his brows and nodded his head in understanding, meanwhile Izaya and everyone else were confused, and simultaneously asked, "The Yellow Scarves?"Kadota merely flashed a grin, "Oh, you guys didn't hear? We got a new gang just today. You're looking at the boss right now too. What do ya say, Kida? Gonna do it?"

Said blonde gulped, clenching and unclenching his fists. He thought about what his gang would want. _Whatever the boss chooses, we're fine with! _Yatabe's words echoed throughout his head, strengthening his resolve. Not to mention what Rio had asked of him. Releasing a sigh, he nodded and sent a glare towards Izaya. "Shall we? You can choose the competition. No matter what it is, we'll win and your sorry ass owes me an apology."

Izaya's lips curved up into a malicious smirk, "I suppose we have ourselves a deal, Kida-kun."

_I just hope this isn't a big mistake… _Both Kida and Kadota simultaneously thought.

Gramps looked from Izaya, to Masaomi, to Kadota, and back again a few times. He shook his head, releasing a sigh. "What is with the youngsters these days?"

_DuRaRaRa! !_

After that escapade with Izaya and Masaomi, Kadota had returned to his office, dragging the two trouble-makers along with him. He announced to the school that they were free to go home now, that the day had turned into an early release thanks to certain complications. No one really questioned why, everyone really was just happy to get out of school early – even the teachers, though they were actually forced to stay back and meet with Kadota in the Conference Room to discuss this battle. Although, those whom were in Art Class during the entire escapade already knew why school was being ended early today and would no doubt go and gossip to everyone else from the school that they knew. News of the war going on between the Dollars and Yellow Scarves would no doubt spread too. As soon as every student was taken care of and on their way either towards home or wherever they were planning on heading, all teachers sat in the Conference Room, accompanied by the two principals, Izaya, and Masaomi. Kadota and Gramps were explaining what happened to the other teachers and Saburo. Izaya and Masaomi would add their own input at times, to defend themselves or get their points across. Those inputs soon led into another argument full of yelling – more yelling done by Masaomi honestly – which then resulted in them both being yelled at by Kadota.

"So, from what I understand is, Izaya forced Kida into sexual encounters, then claimed that he owned Kida, which pissed Kida off and then led into a full blown argument which you tried solving by telling them to start another gang war. Correct so far?" Celty sent into the chat, her words popping up onto the screen on the wall for everyone to read. To be honest, she looked mighty unimpressed with Izaya, no doubt fully expecting this out of said male. This _was_ Orihara Izaya they were talking about. "That's correct, Celty. Kids these days, huh?"

Shinra let out a small chuckle, deciding to put his own thoughts out there finally, "To me, it really just sounds like you wanted them to start another gang war. Is that true, Kadota?" Kadota tensed and raised a brow, crossing his arms over his chest, "And why would I want to do that? I merely recommended it since it's what these gangs are for, aren't they? Isn't that why us teachers and Saburo," Saburo made a rather offended sound, "allowed the students to create them in the first place?"

"My son is right. It sounds like you just_ wanted_ another gang war. I will never understand people of this generation." Shingen said, shaking his head back and forth, while Emilia giggled beside him, patting his shoulder sympathetically.

Saburo nodded his head in agreement, "Sorry, Dotachin, but I'm in agreement with them. Sounds like you were kind of glad they started fighting. Missing the ol' gang fights, already?" When everyone else seemed to agree with what Shinra, Shingen, and Saburo said, Kadota released an exhausted sigh, before covering the top of his mouth with his jacket, muttering under his breath. "Okay, fine. I admit I _am_ kind of glad that they're fighting, because I _do sort of_ miss those fights." Everyone smiled smugly, glad to hear that they were indeed right, not that they doubted themselves for a second, "_But_, I am pissed that these two won't stop arguing. One minute they're all cheerful together, being the best of buds and then the next, they're itching to go at each other's throats." The two in question exchanged glances before grinning sheepishly.

Clearing her throat to gain everyone's attention, Celty quickly tapped away at the computer in front of her, to get her thoughts out to everyone. "So? _What_ are we going to do about them? _What_ is their challenge going to be? _When_ is going to take place?" Everyone hummed thoughtfully, before aiming their questioning looks towards both Izaya and Masaomi, "Well, Izaya, Kida? What's it gonna be?"

"I told Izaya he could choose. We're not afraid of what he's going to choose. We're confident that we'll win either way." Masaomi crossed his arms across his chest, sending Izaya a challenging look, smug grin on his face. To be perfectly honest, Masaomi didn't really believe that he'd win. The only reason he told Izaya and all of them that was because the first time, it was the spur of the moment and this time it was because he's still new to all this gang stuff so he doesn't know what the competitions are like.

Izaya stared at Masaomi for a few seconds, almost as if he was trying to read the blonde's mind – no one doubted that he wasn't doing such – before he looked away and hummed thoughtfully, "Anything I want, hm? Let's see, nothing too difficult since it's your first time. We wouldn't want you to be at too much of a disadvantage now would we?" Izaya ignored the glare and slight growl that came from the blonde, already knowing that being looked down upon would anger Masaomi. "Maybe a sports game? I'm thinking volleyball, basketball, or soccer…What would you prefer dear Kida-kun?"

Masaomi frowned and thought over his option carefully, trying to find some sort of advantage for him and his team. They had already played volleyball, so Masaomi was a bit unsure of that one, especially after seeing how great Izaya was at it, but then again, what wasn't Izaya great at? "Whatever is really fine with me. What would you like us to play, Kadota?"

Kadota blinked, surprised to be asked for his own preference and opinion. He hummed thoughtfully, taking what he knew about both of them in, "How about soccer? I heard you're both good runners, it'd be interesting to see who's more skilled at the sport." The two nodded their head in agreement, "Looks like we shall be playing soccer then. I do hope you are prepared to be defeated, Kida-kun." The blonde scoffed, "As if. I should be telling _you _that."

Before either male could say anything more, Kadota clapped his hands together in order to gain their attention, "Okay, so we know what you're playing; now when do you guys want to do it though? Tomorrow, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or sometime next week?" Masaomi shrugged as did Izaya, "You go ahead and decide for Kida-kun and I, Dotachin~!" Kadota glared at Izaya, but refrained from commenting on the nickname. "Alright, fine. I'll decide then. I'll give you three days to prepare. Figure out who from your teams will be playing and whatnot. On Friday is when the competition will be taking place. Understood? Now, get out of here and head home! _No_ fighting _until_ then either, so _try_ and stay away from each other." With that said, Kadota ushered them out and sent them on their way, while the rest of the teachers stayed seated where they sat in silence staring at Kadota.

"…I'm surrounded by idiots." Celty typed, hanging her head in defeat while gaining some strange offended sounds from the other occupants of the room.

_DuRaRaRa!_

Walking in the opposite direction of his house, not wanting to walk with Izaya or see Mikado just yet, the blonde decided to travel through the other neighborhoods. Masaomi had remembered his promise that he had made to both Mairu and Kururi that morning and instantly felt guilty. He had originally promised to make them something to eat after school, but seeing as though he did not want to be around Izaya at the moment and they probably shouldn't be near each other in the first place, he'd have to cancel their plans. He pulled his phone out and made a group chat that included both of the twins and himself, of course. He knew without a doubt that they'd both have their phones on them and wouldn't mind texting during class. That's just how the two of them were. _"Hey, sorry but there's been a change of plans. I won't be able to make something for you guys after school today. Maybe sometime later." _

Their reply was instantaneous, Mairu was the first one to reply, **"What?! Why?! Kuru-nee and I were looking so forward to it too!" **

**_"Did something happen between you and Iza-nii again?" _**Kururi sent, a minute after her sister sent her panicked response. Kururi may not look it, but she was rather smart and very observant – she wasn't related to Izaya for no reason after all. It was no wonder she was capable of figuring out why the blonde couldn't do what he promised right away. **"Eh? Iza-nii? What makes you think that Kuru-nee? Well, is she right, Masa-nii? Was it Iza-nii?"**

_"…Damn. Was I that obvious? Anyways, yeah. It's because of Izaya. He and I sort of got into another fight and announced war on each other using our two gangs and I kind of don't want to be anywhere near him anymore. Do you understand? I'm really sorry though. I'll make it up to you sometime though. That, I promise you." _

**"…I see. That's fine, Masa-nii. We understand. Iza-nii can be…hard to deal with sometimes so…And hey, you said you'd make it up to us so we're good! Right, Kuru-nee?" **Kururi sent a small message, saying that she agreed with what Mairu had said, **"Wait a sec! You said with your two gangs! Does that mean you have your own gang, Masa-nii?!" **

"Oh, that's right. I forgot to tell them, didn't I?" Masaomi said a loud, before quickly typing his response, _"I didn't tell you guys, did I? Yeah, Yatabe, the guys, and I made a gang! Just today during lunch actually! We're called the Yellow Scarves! Yours truly is the leader too!" _

**"Eh? No way! You? The leader? Don't make me laugh!" **Masaomi presumed that she had laughed out loud in class that very moment. She probably didn't get in trouble though, the teachers probably feared her. Mairu could be quite intense when she wanted to be. _"Hey! It's true! I swear! But yeah, I'm now a gang leader. Crazy ain't it?"_

**_"You can say that again."_**

The blonde pouted at Kururi's response, being it was rather rude of her, _"You guys are just jealous…" _For some odd reason, they didn't respond right away. He thought, maybe they did get in trouble. When he was about to slide his phone away, his phone buzzed, signaling he had received a new message.** "Hey, Masa-nii. Kuru-nee and I talked it over and we were wondering if you'd let us join your gang. We'll even help you fight against Iza-nii!" **Blinking in surprise, Masaomi responded almost instantly, _"I suppose you could. But do you really wanna? I mean, this is your brother and all. I wouldn't want to mess up your already crappy relationship. He'd probably be really pissed too, so…"_

**"We don't care what he thinks or feels. We want to join; otherwise we wouldn't have asked would we? We hate Iza-nii too, so it'd fun to join you and go against him."**

Still not feeling sure of himself, Masaomi hesitated in saying yes, but finally sighed and gave in, _"Alright, you girls can be a part of the Yellow Scarves. Welcome to the group." _ He could just imagine the two glomping each other and cheering right about now. **"Great! Who else is in this gang beside Yatabe and the guys, as you said earlier. Anyone we might know?**"

_"Rio is in the gang. Do you two know her?"_

**"Oh! That one girl with the pigtails! Yeah, we know her. She comes to everyone one of Iza-nii's parties and tries to learn any new information she can on him from us. Figured she would join. Is that it?" **Masaomi then sent a message confirming their question, that that was indeed it. **"Man, that's so little. We need more members! Ah! Shizuo! Did you ask him if he wanted to join? He hates Iza-nii! Does he know about you and this gang? He might ask to join if that's the case. He's currently in the Dollars, but he'd drop out at the drop of a pin. He's actually been planning on leaving too…" **

_"I don't think he knows, no. I don't have his number either so I couldn't ask him." _Once again, the twins didn't respond right away, he wondered what they were doing this time. He had a pretty good guess though. **"You should be getting a message or phone call right about now!" **Mairu sent finally after a few minutes. Before he could reply, his phone rang, an unknown number instantly popped up onto his screen. Hesitantly, he answered, nervously asking, "Hello?"

"Oi! Is this that Kida brat?" Came a gruff voice from the other line that belonged to none other than Heiwajima Shizuo. The twins had given Shizuo his number and told him about everything no doubt. "Yes. You're Shizuo, right? Heiwajima Shizuo if I remember correctly."

"That's right. So, I heard you started a gang battle with Izaya. How come you didn't tell me? Let me join your gang and together we'll serve that bastard defeat on a silver platter! Wait, did that make sense…?" Shizuo trailed off, going silent for a little, causing the blonde to laugh. "Yeah, don't worry it did. You can go ahead and join by the way. I don't mind. You seem like a good friend and partner. Welcome to the Yellow Scarves buddy!"

"Thanks. Oi! Kasuka, join this gang with me! Let's kick Izaya's ass!"

"Brother, I'd rather not resort to violence—"

"Oi, Kida. Kasuka, that's my younger brother, is joining the…uh, your gang too! That alright? Oh, his girlfriend might wanna join too, just so you know. Dokusonmaru may wanna join too actually…" Shizuo went on, not listening to his brother in the background, causing Masaomi to chuckle nervously. "Yeah, that's all fine. The more the merrier, right?"

"Mhm, well when we fighting Izaya?" In the background, Kasuka commented about how they wouldn't be fighting, fighting just yet, which Shizuo promptly ignored, of course. "Uh, your brother is right, Shizuo. We're just having a soccer match on Friday—"

"What?! Ugh, fine. I'll be there and kick his sorry ass anyways. Lemme know when we're having those meetings or whatever. Bye." Shizuo promptly hung up before Masaomi could say anything more. The blonde slowly added Shizuo to his contacts before returning to his previous conversation with the twins, _"That…was interesting. Well, Shizuo is a part of our gang now too. He said Kasuka, Kasuka's girlfriend, and Dokusonmaru might be joining too…"_

**_"Dokusonmaru?" _**

**"Hahaha! Dokusonmaru?! He really said that?!"**

_"Why is it so funny?"_

**_"Dokusonmaru is their dog. At least I think it's a dog…"_** Kururi replied, albeit she was unsure of herself when she did so. The blonde could tell. Don't ask how. This sixth sense maybe? _"Their dog…? How would a dog join a…Mascot maybe?" _Neither twin replied after his comment, no doubt since they were laughing their ass off. **"You're funny, Masa-nii! Now I remember why we became friends!" **

_"I know, I know, it's a blessing from the God's above. It's unfortunate not everyone is as blessed as I am~!" _The two literally sent the word, _snort_ into the conversation, but that was to be expected so Masaomi didn't react much. _"Anyways, you two get back to paying attention in class or I won't let you join. Okay?"_

**"Aw, but school is booooooring. Why don't you just come and pick us up right now? Let us leave this hellhole early!" **Masaomi snorted, shaking his head in amusement. _"Nah, I'll pass and let you suffer for a few more hours."_

**"Meany."**

**_"Meany."_**

They simultaneously sent, causing the blonde to erupt into laughter, _"I'll see you guys later, okay? Don't stay out too late after school, okay?" _

**"Yeah, yeah, we hear ya. See you later, Masa-nii~!"**

After that, Masaomi slid his phone in his pocket, and decided to finally head home, since he was exhausted. Yelling so much really took the energy right out of him. That's probably why he tried to avoid doing it. He changed direction, heading for the cozy house that belonged to the Ryugamine family, or more accurately, the house that belonged to Mikado. Since Mikado's parents never really came to visit. Speaking of Mikado, Masaomi began to worry. By now, the shorter probably heard about what happened – Anri was present during his fight with Izaya, so she must have told Mikado by now. He was honestly worried and fearful about what Mikado would say, do, and think. Masaomi didn't want to lose his best friend after all, "Gah, what am I worrying for? Mikado is Mikado. He'll be understanding and all. There's no way our friendship will end, right?" A random cat meowed in his direction, causing Masaomi to flash the cat a grin, "Thanks for the reassurance, cat!"

Before he knew it, he had arrived in front of their front door, brows furrowed in worry. Apprehensively, he rang the doorbell, preparing for whatever was to come. Nothing bad, he hoped. Soon after he rang the doorbell, the wooden door was opened and Mikado's head poked out curiously, face brightening once he took notice of the blonde, "Masaomi! There you are! I was wondering where you were!"

This startled the blonde, "W-What? Wait, you mean you didn't hear about…" The blonde made weird hand gestures that a normal person wouldn't be able to understand. But this was Mikado. The one who was stuck with the blonde for years! He obviously knew what Masaomi was trying to say. They had this sort of close bond after all. They practically knew each other better than they knew themselves. That is just how close they were. "I did, actually. I thought you wouldn't want me asking about it, so I didn't. Though I'll admit, I'm curious. Oh, but! I wouldn't want to force you to tell me anything you wouldn't want to—" Before the smiling shorter male could properly finish his sentence, he was glomped by Masaomi, who was grinning as wide as humanly possible, "Oh, Mikado! I love you, man! I was all worried for nothing! Man, I really am an idiot, huh?"

Mikado flushed in embarrassment, he still hadn't gotten used to Masaomi's habit of invading his personal space, even after all these years. "Yes, you really are an idiot. Haven't I told you this already?" The blonde yelled an offended _hey, _before moving off of Mikado and inside the house, closing the door behind him. He settled himself down on the couch, using his arms as a pillow while he stared at the ceiling fan move. "Hey Masaomi, I know I said I wouldn't ask if you didn't want me to, but are you really going to _fight_ with Izaya and the Dollars?" Mikado asked the blonde tentatively, voice taking on an extremely worried tone.

Masaomi sat up and patted the spot next to him, motioning for the other to sit down beside him, which he complied with almost instantly. The blonde flashed Mikado a bright reassuring grin, "Don't worry Mikado; we're not going to have a street fight or anything like that. We both agreed to settle this argument by playing a soccer match. After that, everything will be fine! …I think."

Mikado let out a sigh of relief, "Thank God, I could've sworn that you two were going to have a fist fight. I'm glad you aren't though. But soccer? Do you even know how to play?" Masaomi nodded his head, "'Course I do! …Sorta. Don't worry, I'll be fine!" Mikado's expression contorted into one of uneasiness, but he begrudgingly agreed, realizing that there would be no point in worrying. Masaomi was Masaomi and would no doubt figure things out one way or another. That's just who he was.

"Well, I got homework to work on, so I'll be in my room, okay? Let me know if you need anything." Mikado said, getting up and slowly making his way up the stairs, "Yeah, alright. I'll just be here chilling like a villain." Mikado snorted, rolling his eyes before promptly disappearing into his room.

"…How does one chill like a villain anyways?"

_DuRaRaRa! !_

After much tension and gang meetings to figure out who would be the best to participate in this soccer competition from both of the gangs – Dollars and Yellow Scarves, Friday had finally arrived. Or in other words, the battle had finally come. During the three days leading up to Friday, Izaya and Masaomi had avoided each other at all costs. Not to mention how hard all the teachers tried to keep them away from each other, afraid that they would break out into a fist fight if they were allowed to be anywhere near each other. Now, that may or may not have been true. It all really depended on what they said to each other. To be honest, the last thing both of them wanted to do was start a fight like that. Both of them had their own different reasons though of course. Masaomi didn't want to start a fight because he knew how slim a chance of him winning was and because he didn't want to get in anymore trouble with the school authorities than he already was. Izaya didn't want to start a fight with the blonde because he'd ruin his chances of getting the blonde to fully trust him and that wasn't what he wanted. No, he needed the blonde to trust him in order for his big plans to work.

Kadota had decided to cancel all classes for the day and instead had everyone meet up in the auditorium as soon as the bell rung in order to get this battle properly started. He would not allow them to just get into it. No, they had certain rules to abide by first. Especially if he wanted this to be a way for all of his students and future students to solve their arguments, no matter how petty it was. It was much better than having them throw fists at each other, that's for sure.

Once everyone was seated accordingly and silenced, Kadota walked up to the microphone and started to explain what they would be doing that day, not taking any time for jokes and all that right now. "Today, classes shall be cancelled for we are having another one of our _gang wars_ today. By now, I'm sure almost all of you have heard about it, so I won't go into detail about it. Our two fighters today shall be, as you know, Orihara Izaya from the Dollars and Kida Masaomi, the leader of the newly formed gang, the Yellow Scarves. If you two would be so kind to come on up here, it'd make my life a hell of a lot easier." Kadota joked, causing everyone present in the auditorium to laugh. Okay, so we all lied when saying he wouldn't be taking any time for jokes and the such right now.

Once the two addressed males were up on the stage standing on either side of Kadota, he continued, "If you two would state your oath, like I had instructed to you both before this." Moving the microphone away from his lips so no one else would hear, just the three of them, he turned towards Masaomi and asked, "You remember what to say and do, right?" The blonde made a weird offended sound from the back of his throat, nodding, but didn't dare hide the offense he took from his face; this obviously caused Izaya to laugh. Loud. "Of course I do."

"We swear to settle our argument with what the winner of this competition says. Whatever he or she instructs shall be promptly done and this entire argument shall be forgotten. No complaints shall be made. If we are unhappy with said results, we shall have the opportunity to have a rematch of sorts. So long as the other participant agrees. We herby swear to whomever may be listening, that we shall abide these rules we just set up for ourselves. Otherwise, we'd rather face death and be executed on the spot." The two simultaneously said, each making their own faces at the last part about death and execution.

"That's a stupid thing to do. The last part was especially weird." Masaomi complained after they shook on it. Izaya nodded his head in agreement, shoving his hands into his fur-rimmed coat, "I honestly must agree with you there, Kida-kun. Dotachin always was a dramatic one…." Kadota crossed his arms over his chest, frowning. "Hey, I didn't come up with it, Erika did and she demanded that it be used. Especially today. She's crazy, you know that right? You two _do_ know _her_."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean, Dotachin?!" Erika shouted from the crowd, obviously taking offence to everything they had said, not that anyone really listened to what she said. Honestly, they could care less. Not to be rude to Erika or anything.

"Well," Kadota started, raising his beanie up and away from his line of sight, "Let's get this battle started."

_DuRaRaRa! !_

After they made their oath, Kadota had ordered everyone to head to soccer field behind the school, making everyone who would be watching the match sit on the benches or some other sort of seat. While he had everyone get situated in preparation for the show, – that he would not admit he was extremely excited for – he had the participants change into more comfortable clothes and get ready to play against each other. While the students were all busy doing their own thing, he had ordered Saburo to bring him his handy dandy microphone and speaker, while ordering Erika and Walker to bring out their overhead, so the judges and referees – who were really just the teachers – could have some shade while they watched the game from afar. That turned out to be a mistake for the two brought out some ecchi designed ones. It honestly made all the teachers and some students flush in embarrassment. Not Erika and Walker though. They just grinned and set it up. How those kids managed to accomplish that with a raging Dotachin, no one would ever know.

After sitting down on the benches, Kadota turned his microphone on and started speaking with the crowds of students once again, "For those of you, who don't really know about the sport, let me explain things to you a bit. Each team is allowed to field a maximum of eleven players. One of those players shall be the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper is the only one who is allowed to touch the ball with his hands. If anyone who _isn't_ the goalkeeper does so, that shall be a foul. Each goal is worth one point and—come on; you guys know the rules and everything right?" When everyone gave shouts of confirmation, Kadota pinched the bridge of his nose, "Why am I explaining this to you then?!"

Saburo decided to start announcing who the players would be, "On the Dollars team, the eleven players are Orihara Izaya, Mikajima Saki, Yagiri Seiji, Yagiri Namie, Harima Mika, Yumasaki Walker, Karisawa Erika, Niekawa Haruna, Sonohara Anri, Ryugamine Mikado, and —." Said people came out and moved to their side of the field, getting into position. "On the Yellow Scarves team, the eleven players are Kida Masaomi, Yatabe Koji, Kamichika Rio, Orihara Mairu, Orihara Kururi, Heiwajima Shizuo, Heiwajima Kasuka, Douglanikov Vorona, Hijiribe Ruri, –—, and —." Said people came out and moved to their side of the field, getting into position as well. Izaya examined each player that was playing from Masaomi's side, frowning once he caught sight of his two sisters, "Shouldn't you two be at school? Since when are you two a part of the Yellow Scarves, hm?"

The two girls flashed Izaya a mischievous grin, clinging onto Masaomi and sticking their tongues out at their brother, "We technically are at school, just not our school. We joined the Yellow Scarves the day it was created! Jealous?" Izaya scoffed, "As if. Well, don't come crying to your big brother when you lose." The twins made a growling sound, before letting go of the blonde and getting into position, looking way more serious than they had been just mere moments ago. Finally, after sensing the tension going on between both teams, Kadota blew his whistle, staring the countdown. "Three!"

Both teams braced themselves, getting ready to put all their skill to the test, "Two!" Each and every person got into a running position, each team wanting to score the first point. Why do they want to score the first point, you ask? Normally, the team who scores first gets more confidence and the like. "One, go!"

And the match began.

_DuRaRaRa!_

Seconds, minutes, maybe even an hour or two had passed by since the start of the game. Both teams were doing rather well, for it being the first time playing for quite a few of the players. Of course, the two main stars of the show were Izaya and Masaomi. Everyone kept their eyes on them, and the two didn't fail to notice all eyes on them. It honestly gave the two a kick start, it made them more determined to win this silly game. The first point was scored by Masaomi, which honestly surprised a few people – he definitely took offense to their surprise just so you know. As of now, both teams were at a draw at they had five minutes on the clock left to play. Whoever made this last point won the match and won the argument that had taken place mere days ago. Both teams were cutting it close, just when everyone thought that Izaya would score the last point, Masaomi came in and stole the ball, quickly running his way to the other side of the field, dodging Dollars' players. He ignored the countdown that was taking place, focusing everything onto making this last point, "Ten, nine, eight…"

_Come on, come on, almost there! Please let me score a goal in time!_

"Seven, six, five…"

Finally making it to the goalie box, Masaomi came face to face with Yagiri Seiji, who was looking mighty bored. _This'll be an easy shot! …I hope. _"Four, three…" Not wasting any more time, Masaomi kicked the ball as hard as he could into Seiji's blind spot, just as the countdown came to an end, "Two, one!" Everyone stopped in their tracks, waiting for the Mr. Akabayashi – the referee and sports coach – to call who won, "The Yellow Scarves win!" Said team huddles up together and cheers, fist bumping, high-fiving, you name it. Their cheering soon came to an end when they all collapsed onto the ground, sighing. It was a close match after all and they were mighty exhausted. Masaomi greedily drunk out of his plastic water bottle, swallowing almost all the water in one long big gulp, "Great job out there, Kida-kun." Izaya came over and complimented, seating himself down on the grass beside the sweating blonde. "Yeah, thanks. You didn't do too bad yourself."

"I didn't expect **you** to steal the ball at the last second. You caught me off guard. Not many can do that. You should feel proud of yourself." Izaya commented, stealing Masaomi's water bottle and finishing the rest in one gulp, not that there was much left to begin with. Masaomi pouted when the last of his water was taken, which had Izaya laughing – both males didn't happen to hear Erika squealing about how they just shared an indirect kiss. "I'm just that awesome!" Masaomi cheered, laughing when his other team mates made whooping sounds to show the agreed. "We won, Masa-nii! We won!" Mairu and Kururi shouted, jumping onto the blonde's back, almost making him topple over at the weight, "We sure did!" The two stuck their tongues out at Izaya who just rolled his eyes in response, but before he could make any sort of retort, Kadota came over and squatted down in front of them, eyebrows furrowed, "Well, first of all, let me start out by saying, great game. Just what I needed. Now, it was your win Kida, what do you want Izaya to do to apologize or whatever?"

Masaomi hummed thoughtfully, glancing between Izaya and Kadota, raising a timid eyebrow, "Anything?" Kadota's expression turned into one of unease, before he nodded in confirmation. "Well, I suppose I just want a regular apology? He has to mean it though. Oh, and he has to swear to stop forcefully kissing me and all and saying that he owns me and whatnot." The blonde pouted, cheeks flushing ever so slightly. Kadota meanwhile turned to Izaya, raising his brow, "Well? What do you say Izaya?"

Releasing a sigh, Izaya made eye contact with the blonde, lips curving up into a smirk, "Alright, then. Kida-kun, I humbly apologize for everything I did that may have upset you. I herby swear to not forcefully kiss you and say that you belong to me without your permission. Now then, are we back onto good terms?" Izaya questioned, smirk still present on his face. Nodding, the blonde grinned, "Guess so!"

_DuRaRaRa! ! _

**How the bloody hell does one do Rio's character or even Namie?! Those two are probably way out of character, so sorry about that! ****I apologize deeply for the crappyness of this chapter, you have no idea. I rushed the end if you couldn't tell, reason being I'm running out of writing time here and I didn't want to wait to upload this until tomorrow or anything. I also kind of didn't really know what to do for this chapter, so the events may be strange. But now everyone knows that the two had this sort of secret kiss! Yay - not. Ahaha, I'm rambling now, so I'm just gonna go-**

**Don't forget to leave your thoughts on today's chapter in a review below! I'd appreciate it!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Let me start out by telling you that you can not under any circumstances understand how sincerely sorry I am for not updating in...let me see - excuse me while I check - a week?! That is it?! Seriously?! It felt longer! Anyways, still sorry about missing that update day, but guess what? Winter Break, yosh! You know what that means? More time to write therefore more updates, yaaay! Unless I get lazy and unmotivational, cough. You know what gives motivation? Reviews, reviews, and reviews! In case there are some of you who actually want to know why I didn't update, lets just say life got in my way again (love you too life). My birthday was the 17 of December so my family kept me busy dragging me here and there, not to mention it was the last week of school before break thus big workload. Also, my laptop was being bitchy and wouldn't function properly for some reason, thus...But rest assured! I am here now with all my awesomeness! THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed last chapter and will review for this chapter - if anyone. Now then, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Durarara! ! does not belong to this awesome piece of trash, it owns to Ryhogo Narita. Anything else mentioned belongs to each respective owner.**

* * *

Chapter 20

Strength.

"I'm like, seventy-five percent sure this won't explode on us." Masaomi said, balancing a fully prepared cake in one hand while opening the oven with his other, carefully setting the desert inside and turning the oven on, setting the timer and everything. Izaya, who was comfortably seated at the kitchen table in one of the many chairs with his elbow propped up with his chin resting atop the skin, chuckled. "That is honestly not very reassuring, Kida-kun. It makes me worry about allowing you to use my kitchen. I rather not have to pay the damage bills, to be perfectly honest." Said blonde plopped down into the chair directly across the speaking male, sending an unsure glance behind him towards the oven, before making eye contact and grinning sheepishly, "I apologize in advance, but hey, blame Mairu and Kururi if you want to blame someone."

"Hey!" Mairu and Kururi simultaneously shouted, pouting, "Why blame us?! You're the one who set it on fire!"

"Okay, first of all, I didn't set it on fire—" Izaya quickly interrupted the speaking blonde with a _yet_, earning a glare thrown his way, which only threw oil onto the fire that was Izaya's amusement, "Second, I'd blame it on you guys because you two were the ones who kept begging me to make you two something to eat today."

Earlier that day, Masaomi and Izaya had solved their problem with a good old soccer game that came to a close end – much to Kadota's guilty pleasure, he obviously loved a good close game like the one they had played, and he didn't do much to hide said pleasure either. After Izaya had apologized and sworn not to _forcefully_ kiss Masaomi or sprout nonsense about how the blonde was his and his only, Mairu and Kururi had set out to pestering the blonde about making them something that same day – at the thought of Masaomi making something for them, their energy recovered, startling the exhausted beyond words blonde. Of course, he couldn't bring himself to decline, they were females after all. Everyone knew how weak willed Masaomi was against their kind. A plus side was that Kadota was in such a great mood that he allowed everyone to leave early. _That _is how Masaomi came to his certain predicament.

Now, it's not that Masaomi doesn't know _how_ to cook, he does. No joke. Like he said, he used to be in charge of meals for both himself and all the other younger kids back in the country while he stayed there. The real reason behind why he wasn't exactly one-hundred percent positive that the cake wouldn't blow up on them was because it had been quite awhile since he last baked a cake and not to mention the mere size of pressure he could sense coming from all three Orihara siblings that watched his exact actions like a bloody hawk watching its prey. It felt as if one wrong move would lead to his utter demise; he'd be six feet under! Now, he may be exaggerating, but that is _seriously_ what he felt. The Orihara bunch was a scary one indeed.

"But that doesn't mean it'd be _our_ fault that the place blew up! You were the one who agreed to it! You could have just said no!" Mairu and Kururi argued back, not about to back down from this argument until they were beaten completely, "Say no to lovely females such as yourself? _Non!_ I could never! Rejecting females is my ultimate weakness!" Masaomi dramatically shouted, throwing in some French to make it more exaggerated. His sudden outburst about his weakness had the completely opposite effect than what Masaomi had originally been expecting. The twins' lips curved up into a smirk that creepily resembled Izaya's and they purred, "Oh? Rejecting females is your ultimate weakness, was it? You know, it's not such a good idea to announce your weakness to people so willingly, huh Kuru-nee?" Said female nodded, while Masaomi merely gulped, edging away from their approaches. "R-Right, but you guys won't try anything, r-right?" The two giggled before backing away and sharing a mischievous smirk, "No promises!"

"It is situations like these when I remember that they're related to _you._" Masaomi spat towards Izaya, though no malice was used in that one sentence. Raising a brow, Izaya ushered the blonde on, "Is that a good or bad thing? Taking your tone into consideration, it sounds bad. I'm deeply hurt, Kida-kun. I'm not _that_ bad. If anything, they're _far _worse." Masaomi gave Izaya a strange look, but didn't say anything more, instead he changed the subject before he winded up dead, needing to get this topic away and out of his head for good. "So, what should we do while we wait for the cake to be ready? We got to wait a while and I don't know about you, but I'd rather not just sit here while you three bully me in any way you can think of."

"Bully you? We are doing no such thing. Don't be ridiculous. Now, before you complain again about how I avoided your question, we could—" Before the oldest male could finish talking, Mairu and Kururi practically jumped out of their seats, each running to the blonde who was sitting in a slight daze. Once they were close enough, they tried to roundhouse kick his head. Much to his relief, he dodged out of the way just in time, "What the hell?!" He exclaimed, tripping over his feet and falling onto his knees in his haste to get out of the way of their kicks that he _knew _would hurt without even having to witness the pain.

"What? You asked what we should do to pass the time and we decided we should spar! We heard about how you and Vorona Douglanikov were sparring that one day and how you did super great! We wanted to see how well you'd fend against us! Remember how we told you about that dojo we went to when we first met? Well, we're like the stars there! Unbeatable! Our offer is still open if you want to join." Mairu haughtily responded, hands resting against her hips while Kururi stood on the opposite side of the blonde, in a fighting stance.

"Well, a warning would have been nice before you two went for my head, you know?" The twins merely shrugged before going in for the attack again, ignoring the blonde's shout of surprise and order for them to stop.

Let's just leave it at that Masaomi might need stitches after today…

_DuRaRaRa! !_

"Okay, it's official. I have a feeling that I'm going to need stitches thanks to you two. Also, someone make sure that I don't forget to not ask you three what to do to pass time or else I'll wind up dead for sure." Masaomi complained rather loudly, collapsing onto the kitchen table chair where he had sat about an hour ago, before Mairu and Kururi set out to kill him – though they swore it was just them testing the blonde's skill. He instantly called bullshit to that. "Oh, come on Masa-nii! It wasn't _that_ bad!" Mairu shouted cheerfully, draping herself over the seated Kururi who nodded her head in agreement to what Mairu had said.

"I kept tripping over myself, falling, getting cuts and bruises, you name it! Look, I even have this cut on my abdomen from when you pulled out a knife and used it on me when I was _this_," he made emphasis on how close he was with his fingers, pulling up his shirt to show them said cut that was oozing out blood as he spoke with his other hand, "close to landing a hit on you for the first time during our entire fight."

Everyone peered down at Masaomi's bleeding cut, wincing at how painful it looked. Mairu sheepishly looked away, looking apologetic, "Sorry about that, Masa-nii. I panicked…" Masaomi was about to go on and rant, asking why she had a knife on her in the first place and that she should give it to him before she seriously hurts someone and blah, blah, blah. Thankfully, before he could utter one word, Izaya came over and began to tend to his wound with a disinfectant wipe and a bandage, dabbing up the dried blood that was practically glued to the blonde's well toned skin, brows furrowed slightly in concentration. "It's not that bad, Kida-kun. It didn't go in that deep, no doubt because of how well you dodged her attack, you should feel proud. Not many can dodge Mairu's attacks and survive to tell the tale. It's already healing too, should take about a day or two, at most a week to heal completely. Here, I'll even bandage it for you."

"…Thanks, Izaya." Masaomi muttered, wincing slightly when the disinfectant sent a shock of pain coursing through him, earning an even guiltier expression coming from Mairu. "Don't mention it. It was the least I could do. Take it as an apology for Mairu and Kururi's rash actions in attacking you and even injuring you." Masaomi nodded, watching as Izaya finished placing a small bandage on the wound to prevent any unnecessary friction with the wound, possibly causing it to get infected. Izaya stood up from his crouched position beside the seated blonde, tossing the soiled wipe into the trash along with the wrapper of the bandage, moving over towards the sink to wash his hands before taking out the finished cake and setting it down on the table in front of the blonde.

The depressed stupor that both Mairu and Kururi had been in mere moments before dissipated once their noses got whiff of the cake and their eyes settled onto said desert, "It's ready?! Iza-nii! Serve us, quickly, quickly!" They unnecessarily shouted, bouncing up and down in their chairs, earning a stern look from their older brother, who expertly cut the cake into equal pieces with a kitchen knife made specifically for cutting cake and the like. He shooed the twins off to grab their own plates while he cut, not even surprised by how they returned so quickly – they didn't even allow him to finish his order. Once the twins had set the first piece of their cake into their mouths and began chewing it, Masaomi's apprehension grew and he furrowed his brows, "Well? How is it?"

Swallowing the desert, the twins shared a look before nodding – having done their psychic talking again – and turning to grin at the worried looking blonde, "It was great! You're totally going to help us cook for Thanksgiving! Oh! You should also help us cook for Christmas! We need tons of cookies and cakes and, and, and, and—" Masaomi laughed good heartily at Mairu, watching as she tried to speak while stuffing food into her mouth at the same time, "It's that good, huh?" She just nodded, too busy munching away.

Masaomi grabbed himself a plate and fork, taking a piece of cake for himself, taste testing it, "Hm, you're right. It actually isn't too bad, considering how I haven't cooked a cake in ages." Masaomi noticed from the corner of his eye that Izaya had not taken a cake for himself to try it, he was just observing the blonde eat, small grin on his face. "Izaya? You're not going to try some?" Seemingly startled by the sudden question, Izaya shook his head, "Nope."

"Why? My cooking not up to your expectations?" The blonde meant it teasingly, but it _did_ come out more offended sounding than teasing. Izaya, being as observant and knowledgeable about human emotions as he was, noticed and quickly went to reassure the blonde that that was not the case, "No, that's not it. You see, I'm just not much of a sweet fan. I'd love to try your cooking, I'm sure it's great. Especially if someone as picky as Mairu and Kururi enjoyed it so much as they say." Izaya glanced as his sisters, before turning his full attention back to the no longer pouting blonde.

Humming thoughtfully, Masaomi nodded in understanding, before doing a double take and sending an aghast look towards Izaya, "What do you mean, 'I'm just not much of a sweet fan'?! Sweets are the bomb! No one who is human can say no! Not even Satan himself can say no!" Izaya chuckled, "Guess I'm not human or anything similar to Satan. But I'm completely serious. I never did care too much for sugary and sweet things. Didn't appeal to me as much as it did to others." Izaya gave a nonchalant shrug.

Apparently, Masaomi couldn't leave it at that, "No way! I can't believe that's true! Maybe you just haven't tried _proper _sweets yet. Here, try some of my cake! You won't be disappointed, I swear. Normally, I'm not much of a cake fan, but when it comes to _my_ cake that _I_ baked myself…It's a whole other story!" Masaomi shoved his own plate of cake in front of Izaya's face, handing the male his fork. Izaya stared at the objects being handed to him and wrinkled his nose in disgust, "I'd rather not try it…"

"Aw, come on! Please? Just one bite! If you don't like it, I won't ever mention it again." Izaya gave a perplexed look, before hesitatingly grabbing the fork and plate from the blonde's outstretched hands. Taking a hesitant bite, Izaya slowly chewed examining the flavor, setting the plate and fork down gently, "Well? How is it?" Masaomi asked, feeling more nervous and apprehensive than he did earlier.

Raising his head, Izaya made eye contact, swallowing the desert after making one last chew. Staring into the blonde's goldish-brown big eyes that resembled one of a child's with how excited and expectant they looked; Izaya had remained silent for a minute or two before finally stating his opinion. "As I said, I'm not one for sweets, but I must admit, that wasn't too bad." As soon as Izaya stated his opinion, Masaomi grinned victoriously and cheered, "See? What did I tell ya? It's good, right?!" Izaya's lips curved up into a teasing smirk, "Or maybe it was just the fact that I had used the fork that was previously in your mouth mere moments ago. The inside of your mouth is quite delicious, the only sweet thing that I really enjoy." At the words spoken to him, the blonde flushed and tried to make coherent sentences, but failed miserably. "S-Shut up, you perv!" This was a satisfactory response, for Izaya let out a good natured – or was it really – laugh.

"…Iza-nii really is a pervert, huh? He's going to become a wrinkled old hermit that lives in some swamp, praying, for some kid to wander to his home so he can be a pervert, to Satan every day or something."

"…I can hear you, you know that, right?"

"Yup."

_DuRaRaRa!_

Three weeks had passed by in a blur. In those three weeks, Masaomi had been kept busy. To be honest, almost everyone Masaomi knew that attended Raira or was in somehow related to Raira was kept busy. During the span of three weeks, tension between the Yellow Scarves and the Dollars had sprang up into extremely high levels, amazing almost everyone. Even though Izaya and Masaomi had settled their disagreement three weeks prior, members of both gangs still held grudges against each other for reasons unknown. For sure, one of the reasons had to be because several members of the Dollars had quit and transferred to the Yellow Scarves, coming to the conclusion that they'd enjoy their time with the blonde more after seeing how much fun the main members of the Yellow Scarves had together. Masaomi and Yatabe would welcome almost anyone who asked to join – after making sure they were there to spy on them first of course – since they needed the members and their gang is meant just for fun. The main idea behind their gang was to be a place where anyone and everyone could belong. Most who attended Raira didn't enjoy the idea of joining gangs, not wanting to be involved in those sorts of things, which is another reason their gang was created. To be that sort of playful gang that was just there for fun. Like children playing house or cops and robbers. Their numbers had grown almost every day; they had become one of the biggest gang in a span of a mere three weeks. Although, their numbers weren't the only thing that grew, oh no, no, no. Their power, popularity, and fear towards them grew as well.

Masaomi was busy almost half the time with studying for his big test after Thanksgiving break, keeping up with homework, _and_ making time to hang out with friends. Thus, he could not keep an eye on _all_ of his gang members. Thus, when the Dollars would come looking for a fight, Masaomi couldn't be there to order his men to stand down and ignore the Dollars. For the most part, whenever the two gangs had issues, they'd resolve them the normal way with a game or something similar. Of course, there were instances in when things went too far and fists went flying. The Yellow Scarves won many of those battles, but so did the Dollars. Both were practically competing for title of the strongest.

Soon, both gangs realized that they couldn't beat each other just yet. So, they went to separate other gangs and challenged them for practice. Almost like practice games before the big competition. This had caused the Yellow Scarves to get better known and make the rivaling tension between both gangs known as well. Several different gangs were crumpled and defeated thanks to the Yellow Scarves and Dollars, but it just didn't seem to be enough for said gangs. The fights didn't go unnoticed by Masaomi or Izaya of course; they would have to be blind not to notice. The two of them called their two gangs and tried to come to a compromise. Did that work? Not exactly.

After both Izaya and Masaomi talked to their gangs, trying to get them to settle down, it only seemed to spark the anger in the members more and more. Shouting things such as, "We're not weak!" or "We can kick these guys' asses, don't worry boss, just say the word and they're dead!" Several things similar to this spread out on both sides, causing the two gangs to instantly clash in a street fight of sorts. Both bosses quickly took action, separating the two sides before things got any worse. Some people agreed to stop this reckless unnecessary fighting, while others didn't. There didn't seem to be anything either Masaomi or Izaya could do to fix that either. They agreed to just let their gangs fight it out; they'd end their fussing sooner or later. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

A side effect to this brewing tension and fights was that Izaya and Masaomi's relationship was being stretched. Both sides would get extremely furious when they'd see the two bosses hanging out at lunch, during classes, or after school. It was so severe that the two had to cease contact, only speaking through text messages or sneaking over to each other's houses when they knew for a fact that no one was watching them. That's no fun, as you must assume. Both males tried their hardest to try and get their gangs to compromise. You can assume how much ease they're having with that. Considering how they're still stuck at square one.

With the end of November quickly approaching and that in return meant that Thanksgiving was just around the corner, or in this case the following day, that would mean that they had the entire week off to spend with family or friends. Masaomi was at Izaya's house once again after quite awhile, considering the whole gang scenario kept them away and busy. The blonde was helping Mairu, Kururi, and Izaya cook their meals for the next day, as promised. Though, in reality, the four of them were just fooling around. They would throw flour at each other; poured liquids down each other's shirts… you name it. By the end of their cooking session, there was a mess. Everywhere. Not just the kitchen. Though how that happened was beyond their understanding. Soon, after everything was squeaky clean, Masaomi had came to down to the conclusion that it was time to head home. After giving out his goodbyes and arriving next door to his and Mikado's home, he greeted Mikado, showered, and then headed to bed, the events of that day having drained all his energy. After all, having a food fight of sorts _was_ exhausting. Especially when it was against the Orihara siblings. Good god, _never_ challenge them if you want to keep your limbs intact.

When he awoke the next day, he was bombarded with texts and calls from both Mairu and Kururi, each message and voice mail asking him if he was still coming to their dinner later that evening, like he had also originally promised them. Masaomi was hesitant to agree, once again considering what was going on between the gangs. Mairu and Kururi managed to convince him to agree to go along though after giving a rather…after giving him a lecture, let's just say. "What's going on between your gangs right now doesn't matter, Masa-nii. We want you to come, Iza-nii wants you to come, and we know you want to. That's all that matters. Now, get your ass over here before we drag you over!" Very Mairu-like if you ask him.

Even though he had agreed to go over, thinking everything Mairu had told him was right; he couldn't help but hesitate when the time to head over came. Dressed in his usual cream sweater and black pants, Masaomi lay atop his bed, biting onto his bottom lip. He could hear the vibration of his phone, signaling that he was receiving new messages, no doubt from Mairu and Kururi asking him where he was and what was taking so long. He was stuck trying to decide whether or not he should attend after all or not. "God damn it, this sucks. I can never make these decisions…" Masaomi complained, covering his face with his sleeves, letting out a groan.

"Just go already, Masaomi. I know you want to." Masaomi turned to see Mikado leaning against his door frame, looking unimpressed. "But Mikado, it's not that easy—" Mikado raised his hand, instantly shutting the blonde up, "Don't make excuses Masaomi. I know about the tension between the Yellow Scarves and the Dollars, but you promised, right? Don't go breaking your promises…Especially ones made to Mairu and Kururi. They'll kick your ass, throw you into a ditch, and bury you alive." Masaomi laughed and nodded, not doubting that for a second. "I guess you're right there. But what about you?" Mikado wrinkled his nose in disgust at the mere thought of what he had to do that day, "My parents are going to arrive soon and they want to take me out to eat at some restaurant with some coworkers. Not exactly how I want to spend my Thanksgiving, but at least they're home for the holiday, right?" Masaomi nodded, feeling sympathetic for the shorter. Masaomi knew fairly well what the relationship between Mikado and his parents was like, having witnessed it several times for himself. Mikado's parents were always busy with work and even owned this big company that sold air conditioners or something, Masaomi honestly couldn't remember, not having cared too much when he was told. Mikado was supposed to inherit the company when his parents went under so they always tried to teach Mikado how to lead the company before then. Mikado hated those lessons because he'd have to go with them to talk business to other major company owners and everyone knows how boring those get. Masaomi had tagged along one time and he instantly regretted it, being bored out of his mind. He was banned from going ever again too since the one time he did go, he blew off their guests hair and that ruined the two companies relationship for quite a while. Not his fault he was bored out of his mind and wanted to check if the older guys' hair was real or not.

"Yikes, good luck with that buddy." Ever since that incident with the hair, Mr. and Mrs. Ryugamine harbored a great dislike towards Masaomi and had even tried to convince Mikado to quit being friends with the blonde, but Mikado had someone convinced them that Masaomi wasn't really as bad as they thought and that said blonde was even sorry for what happened – he was slightly sorry, slightly and Mikado knew that but made sure not to tell his parents, knowing that _that_ wouldn't end well. Even though, the two still disliked the blonde. He was honestly surprised when they agreed to allow him to live with Mikado. He made it his goal to try and stay clear of them whenever they had decided to visit Mikado, not wanting to somehow piss them off and get thrown out onto the streets.

"Yeah, thanks. I'll definitely need it since—" Before Mikado could finish saying whatever it was he was about to say – honestly Masaomi could really careless, he wasn't a big fan of their company thus – Masaomi interrupted, shooting up into a sitting position shouting, "Wait a second! You said they should arrive soon, right?!" When Mikado nodded in confirmation, confused about why Masaomi suddenly looked fearful and on the verge of panic, until it all clicked. "Crap! I gotta hurry up and get outta here! Sorry Mikado, but I'm heading out to Izaya's! Have fun! Yeah, okay bye!"

Mikado watched as Masaomi went running out of his room and quickly down the stairs, out the door, all while trying not to trip over himself. Honestly, Mikado found it hilarious and couldn't help the giggles that left his lips. Masaomi really was something else. "Well, now I know how to get Masaomi off his ass and doing something productive."

_DuRaRaRa! ! _

Comfortably seated atop the steps onto the front porch beside her sister and older brother, Mairu's face seemed to be stuck in an annoyed pout, eyes narrowed to an intimidating glare, "Ugh, where_ is_ he?" Mairu complained rather loudly, earning her a smack across the head from Kururi who was silently picking at a loose thread on her cat-eared sweater. "Maybe you finally scared him away with your ugliness—" Izaya had to quickly dodge a kick meant for his head by none other than Mairu, who had gotten pissed at his ugly comment. "Why you—" She started but instantly shut up once she saw Masaomi stumbling out the door and quickly slamming it shut, running over to their yard and jumping the fence, almost as if hells was at his heels. "Masa-nii! There you are! What took you so long?!"

Masaomi stopped running in front of them, hands on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath, "Sorry, I—" Suddenly, a rather nice sleek black convertible pulled up into the driveway at Mikado's house and Masaomi paled several shades, jumping onto the porch and hiding behind Izaya, the only slightly tall person currently present. "Shit, they're here already! Hide me you guys!" He whispered loud enough for only them to hear and pulled Mairu and Kururi closer to Izaya so that they could properly cover him, just as two adults dressed in suits came piling out of the car while Mikado exited the house, greeting them cheerfully. These two people happened to be Mr. and Mrs. Ryugamine. "Hide you, what for? Who are those two people?" Izaya questioned, glancing back at the hiding blonde who was looking every bit as panicked as the Orihara siblings felt confused.

"They're Mikado's parents and let's just say that we had a certain incident in the past that caused them to start to hate me. I'm honestly surprised that they agreed to let me live with Mikado, since they don't like me so much. I'm afraid that if they see me, I'll somehow piss them off and they'll kick me out of Mikado's place." Masaomi quickly explained, peeking over Izaya's shoulder next door to see Mikado being pulled into a family hug.

"…I see." Izaya muttered after listening to his explanation and trying to process everything. "Tell me, what exactly had you done, I can think of no reason not to like you. Especially with you charisma." Mairu and Kururi nodded their head in agreement, eyes glued onto the Ryugamine family. "Well, you see. They're business owners and one time they agreed to take me along to one of their meetings which I had instantly regretted ever begging them to take me since it was boring as heck. I had been observing their guest and found myself wonder, is his hair real? So, me being the awesome me, came up with a plan to test if it was real or not and wala! His hair blew off and we all learned that it was indeed fake. They poor guy was humiliated and enraged. Ever since, the two companies' relationship hasn't been the best…"

Masaomi watched amused as Mairu and Kururi burst into a fit of laughter, holding onto their stomachs in pain at laughing so hard, Izaya seemed to be amused with the blonde's tale too since he was grinning, "That's quite an interesting story. How old were you during this?" Masaomi hummed thoughtfully, not noticing the Ryugamine eyes turn to investigate what the racket was about, "About…eight or so."

Before any of the Orihara siblings could make a response to what Masaomi said, Mrs. Ryugamine raised her voice and shouted over to their house, "Oh my, Kida? Is that you? Why don't you come on over and say hello? It's rude not to you know." Masaomi went stiff, Izaya could tell from the grip the blonde had on his shoulders. Masaomi made a slight curse at his luck and begrudgingly stood up from his hiding spot, walking back over to the Ryugamine house, but making sure to use the sidewalk and avoid walking in the yard, knowing that that would annoy Mr. and Mrs. Ryugamine. Forcing the brightest and friendliest grin he could possibly muster at that moment, the blonde extended his hand in order to get a firm handshake, "Forgive me for not coming to greet you as soon as you arrived. I was communicating with the neighbors and like you taught me, it's rude to walk away and abruptly end a conversation that you started, wasn't it?" Mr. Ryugamine shook the blonde's outstretched hand while Mrs. Ryugamine instead pulled the blonde into a – albeit awkward – hug, nodding approvingly at his respectful way of speaking and words. "Yes, that is correct. You are hereby forgiven for not instantly coming to greet us. Now tell me, how are you enjoying it back here? You left so suddenly and didn't even say goodbye. Is our dear Mikado treating you with hospitality like he should?"

"It's great being back. I apologize for not saying goodbye, as you said, I left so suddenly that I didn't really get the chance to. Mikado is treating me great too. He is your son after all." Masaomi kept his grin on his face while standing up straight, giving him this respectful air to him. Although what he really wanted to say was, _I didn't say goodbye because you guys scare the shit out of me honestly and besides Mikado trying to kill me with a spatula, yeah all is good._ Yeah, not the best thing to say to the Ryugamines who value respect more than anything – besides their son of course. They try to spoil him rotten whenever they can.

Before Mrs. Ryugamine or Mr. Ryugamine could say anything in response, a rather pleasant voice, crisp, clear, and vibrant, almost as though being hailed by the pure blue sky itself spoke up. When Mikado heard that voice, he grimaced as though he had been shot in the back with dozens of arrows and those arrows were being twisted in his back, slowly turning to face the voice, sweating while Masaomi and his parents turned to the voice, confused for a second. Once Masaomi registered who it was, he had a look quite the same as Mikado's though not as bad and worried looking. Mikado was honestly worried that Izaya would say something wrong that would rile his parents feathers, this was Izaya after all. Masaomi was worried about that too honestly, sending Izaya a warning glance. "Why, you must be Mr. and Mrs. Ryugamine. I'm Orihara Izaya. It's a pleasure to finally meet you after all these years that I have been neighbors with your dear son. I've heard great things about you two from these two young men."

Mrs. Ryugamine blinked in shock for a second, before smiling a real genuine smile, "Oh, the pleasure is all ours. Unfortunately, we haven't heard much about you from our son since we've been so busy lately and incapable of keeping in touch long enough to have a good long conversation, forgive us. We're sure we would've heard only great things about you though. You seem like a lovely young man, Mr. Orihara." _Ha, what a laugh that is. Izaya, a lovely young man? As if! _Masaomi thought, trying to keep in a snicker. Mikado obviously noticed this and elbowed the blonde who was _this_ close to laughing, not wanting Masaomi to rile his parents feathers.

"Please, call me Izaya. Don't worry about that, I've heard that you two own a company. Thus, it's natural that you're busy. It's truly great that you're taking the time out of your busy schedules to visit your only son though. What great parents." Izaya responded, making Mrs. Ryugamine flush in embarrassment, remembering that her husband and her only came to get Mikado to take him to another one of their business meetings. "That's…right." She responded hesitantly, avoiding eye contact as she lied slightly.

Obviously having noticed, Izaya's lips curved into a smirk, "Why don't you three come and have dinner with my two sisters and myself. Kida-kun here is already planning on coming over in respect of letting you three have some family time, but I'm sure both he and Mikado would love to eat all together. Right, boys?" The two shared a look, wondering what Izaya was planning before Mikado spoke up, "Only if mother and father would want to though." Masaomi knew what Izaya was doing, he was trying to convince the two to spend the Thanksgiving with them and he honestly didn't want that, Izaya probably was trying to do that just to spite the blonde, so he felt intervening right now before they agreed was wise. "It's alright if you don't though, Mr. and Mrs. Ryugamine. I know that you three were supposed to have this meeting with—"

"No, nonsense! We'd love to join you all! Isn't that right, dear?" Mrs. Ryugamine quickly interrupted, turning to her husband, practically giving him a look that clearly told him to agree with her, which he did. "Yes, that is correct. Today is Thanksgiving, we can have that meeting any other day." Mrs. Ryugamine nodded her head feverishly, giving Izaya a kind smile, "Would you really be so kind as to have us as your guests? We wouldn't want to inconvenience you. Especially since this day is normally supposed to be spent with family." Izaya shook his head, "No, it's quite alright. I'm sure my sisters would love the company too. Now, shall we head to my place? The food is all set up already too." Mrs. Ryugamine nodded, "Yes, let's."

All three Ryugamines followed Izaya into his house and to the dining table where Mairu and Kururi were already seated, awaiting their guests as they chitchatted. Izaya explained to the girls that they would have company while the Ryugamine family each took a seat at the dining table, introducing themselves to the girls. Masaomi meanwhile headed to the kitchen to suffer, with Izaya following, making the excuse that he was going to get their drinks – which he really was. "What's wrong, Kida-kun?"

"You are the most insensitive, small minded, spiteful, brain dead, thoughtless, imbecilic, prick to ever walk the face of the Earth!" The blonde shouted, though not loud enough that the Ryugamines could hear him, because now that would be bad. Izaya laughed, moving to the refrigerator to grab their drinks, "Why, because I was being a gentleman and helping Mikado get away from the meeting?"

"That—Okay, I admit that was nice of you, but you didn't have to _invite_ them to eat with us." Masaomi argued, looking annoyed and upset that he had to spend more time than he really wanted with Mr. and Mrs. Ryugamine. "Oh? What's this? Are you upset because we wouldn't have had as much alone time as you wished?" Izaya teased, earning a flustered and more pissed blonde to glare at him, "That's not it! I just—" Before he could defend himself, Izaya hushed him and started walking out, "Man up and face them, Kida-kun." He said before he headed to the table.

Blowing out a frustrated breath, Masaomi crossed his arms and pouted, "God must have been in a bad mood when he created Izaya. Or good mood because he knew with Izaya being alive, he'd be capable of torturing me."

_DuRaRaRa! ! _

"I apologize for leaving so early, but we're quite tired after travelling so much thus we shall retire to our house and get some sleep. Thank you again, Orihara Izaya for inviting us to your home and allowing us to join you for dinner, thank you Orihara Mairu and Orihara Kururi for agreeing with your brother and allowing us to join you. Come now, Mikado. Let's go. Kida, be a gentleman and help them clean up everything, please? No doubt by the time you arrive home we'll be asleep, so goodnight and see you in the morning." Mrs. Ryugamine said, bowing in respect towards Izaya before slipping her coat back on and heading outside to their home accompanied by Mr. Ryugamine and Mikado. Once they were gone and it was clear that they wouldn't be coming back, Masaomi released a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank god. I thought I was going to die!"

Mairu and Kururi snickered as Masaomi collapsed into a nearby chair, throwing his head into his hands, both obviously enjoying the blonde's misery, "Oh, come on Kida-kun. Quit being such a drama queen! They're kind folk. You should show more respect."

"Kind folk to you because you have that aura around you. Hell, you should've seen them that one time when I pissed them off after that meeting. They were so close to throwing me out the car into a ditch!" Masaomi exclaimed, lifting his head and shuddering at the less than pleasant memory. "That aura? What do you mean by that?" Izaya asked, plopping down into the chair directly in front of Masaomi while Mairu and Kururi dived for the extra cheesecake, ready to eat all they could.

"Like, you have this scary air to you. If someone disrespects or annoys you in anyway, it seems as though you'd break their bones and kill them without a second thought. Basically you control people through fear kind of. I dunno, I can't really explain it. Do you get what I'm trying to say though?" The blonde leaned to the side to steal a bite of Mairu's cake with the fork in his hand, just to spite her. Which succeeded mind you and almost had him going headless.

"Strangely, yes. I understand what you mean. What I don't understand is how I'm in anyway scary. I do believe that I'm quite the gentleman, not in any way threatening—"

"Bullshit."

"…Okay, you've got me there. But do tell me how you find me scary and how I appear threatening." Izaya responded after a second of being called out for lying, leaning his cheek against his propped up elbow, looking at the blonde curiously, wondering how he'd respond. Although he already had a good idea of the blonde's reactions, "First of all, I'm not the one scared of you—"

"Bullshit." Izaya mimicked, grinning, knowing that the blonde was indeed scared of him.

"It's the truth! I'm not afraid of you! If anything, you irk me sometimes." The blonde slammed his hands against the table, startling the girls out of their food coma. "Riiiight. Anyways, do go on. We'll talk about your fear of me another time." Masaomi rolled his eyes but complied, "Anyways, you seem scary because of your smirk and the way your eyes glint in a look that makes it look as though you know everyone of our little secrets. Even the ones we thought we kept hidden well. It's like you can see straight through us and that makes our nerves go crazy. That's also one way you seem threatening. Your knowledge can prove to be problematic for some." Honestly, this was Masaomi speaking from experience. When he had first met the older male that one Saturday, these emotions and thoughts went flowing threw him. He was speaking from experience and he knew that Izaya knew that.

"Interesting point of view. I'll keep it in mind. I won't reassure you that I'm not dangerous, because it's clear that I am and I'm positive that you know that as well." Masaomi nodded in agreement, standing up and lifting his arms over his head to stretch, letting out a satisfied sigh when his back popped. "Well, let's get this mess cleaned up. Also, Izaya?" Said male made a questioning hum, urging the blonde to go on. "Can I spend the night tonight? I kind of don't want to head over knowing that _they'd_ be home. Also, I promised Mairu and Kururi I spend the night one of these days."

"Of course, oh but on one condition."

"What's that?"

"You sleep with me."

"…Damn it, I don't have any other choice, do I?"

"Nope."

_DuRaRaRa! ! _

It took roughly about an hour to clean up the dining area and put the extra food into containers and then said containers into the refrigerator for later meals. It had taken so long since the Orihara siblings and Masaomi kept fooling around while doing so. Afterwards, it took awhile to get Mairu and Kururi into bed for the night, since they kept struggling against their 'evil' clutches, complaining that they weren't tired and not to mention the fact that they were hyper and maybe even a little drunk – Masaomi could have sworn he saw them take a sip of Mr. and Mrs. Ryugamine alcoholic beverages when they weren't looking, the little scoundrels. Masaomi had managed to convince them though, saying that he'd cook them breakfast in the morning which instantly shut them up and had them getting into bed, albeit begrudgingly.

After the twins were put into bed, Izaya practically dragged the blonde to his room, after making their earlier deal about where the blonde would be sleeping. Masaomi was climbing into the bed until Izaya stopped him, "What do you think you're doing?" The blonde stopped and looked at Izaya dumbly, "Getting into bed…?" Izaya raised an unimpressed eyebrow, making a strange look, "In _that_?" He pointed to the blonde's clothes, successfully further confusing the blonde. "Yes…? What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"It doesn't look very comfy. Shouldn't you change or something?"

Masaomi seemed to understand what Izaya was trying to do and quickly shook his head, "No, this is good. I'm fine—" Izaya crossed his arms and gave the blonde a pointed look that practically screamed, _are you seriously trying to argue with me right now?_ "…Fine. You get what you want, but just know I am _not_ wearing a shirt to bed. That's uncomfortable for me since it gets so damn hot." Masaomi stood up and quickly started discarding his sweater and tossing it onto Izaya's desk chair, leaving him shirtless, completely ignoring Izaya's "I prefer it that way," comment. Izaya then tossed the blonde some pajama shorts to change into, which he quickly shimmied out of this pants and into the shorts before climbing into the bed once again and scooting all the way to one side, away from the older male who got into bed almost instantly after him, already dressed in his pajamas, ready for bed.

"Before you fall asleep, I was wondering if you still want me to tutor you for Monday's test." Izaya casually asked, lying so that he was facing the blonde, who turned to face the older once the conversation started. Humming thoughtfully, the blonde furrowed his brows in thought, before nodding. "Yeah, could you?"

"Of course. I wouldn't have offered if I couldn't, now would I?" The older teased, chuckling after seeing the blonde's more than annoyed pout. "Right…" The blonde muttered, before shutting his eyes, showing that he was trying to get some sleep now. Just when Masaomi was starting to fall asleep and was sure that Izaya was going to bother him, he suddenly spoke up, startling the blonde. Not just because he sounded as though he was closer than Masaomi remembered, but because of what he said which was, "I'm going to kiss you now."

As soon as he heard those words, Masaomi's eyes flew open just as Izaya's lips connected with his, sending the poor blonde into shock. Just as fast as the kiss started, the kiss ended. Even though the kiss only lasted about five seconds, it still left the blonde breathless as his lips tingled. "What…What was that for?! I thought you swore not to forcefully kiss me!"

Smirking, Izaya nodded, "I did swear that. I swore not to _forcefully_ kiss you. I didn't force you though, now did I? I wasn't holding you down so that you couldn't move away or anything. I even warned you, but you stayed in place, did you not?" Masaomi's eyes widened in realization that Izaya had a point and cursed himself for being so stupid as to not notice that loophole. _No wonder he agreed to it without protesting! I'm such an idiot…_ "Now, to answer your first question: It was for no real reason. I just felt like doing it. Ah, don't worry. It meant nothing. I'm insinuating nothing. Rest assured. Now then, I'm starting to get tired. Goodnight, Kida-kun." With that, Izaya shut his eyes and started to doze off instantly, leaving the shocked blonde to himself.

Masaomi turned away from Izaya after a minute, closing his eyes, listening to the sound of his heart pounding in his chest and the tingling feelings in his lips, left from when Izaya's were on his mere moments ago. Then Izaya's previous words echoed in his head, "_It meant nothing." _For some reason, Masaomi felt his heart clench at that, but couldn't comprehend why. Surely he wasn't upset that it meant nothing. Surely he didn't want it to mean anything.

…Right?

_DuRaRaRa! !_

The following morning, when Masaomi woke up, Izaya was gone, having already woken up before the blonde. Being as exhausted as he was, the blonde tried to head back to sleep and was _this_ close to actually falling back asleep. Until, that is, when Mairu and Kururi came running in and jumping on top of him shouting at the top of their lungs about God knows what earning a startled and pained yelp from the blonde at the sudden weight on top of him. "What the—"

"Masa-nii, Masa-nii, Masa-nii! Hurry up and get up and cook us breakfast like your promised! We're starving over here, isn't that right Kuru-nee?" Mairu shouted much louder than really necessary, while Kururi gave a loud "mhm," if that was even possible. "Aw, come on. You guys couldn't have let me sleep for _five _more minutes? I'm exhausted, you know?"

Giggling, Mairu teased him, "Why? Did Iza-nii keep you up late last night~?" It took Masaomi exactly ten seconds to realize what she had meant in that sentence, bolting up into a sitting position, practically knocking Mairu and Kururi off of him in the process, "What the hell?! Ew, God no! I would never let him near me if he tried _that_. Bleh!" Masaomi wrinkled his nose in disgust, getting up and out of bed, completely forgetting that he was shirtless, earning a giggle out of Mairu. "Kuru-nee, cover your eyes before you go blind from seeing Masa-nii's fat." Kururi followed her sister's commands and quickly covered her eyes, earning a weird offended sound from the blonde, "Excuse you, fat? Look at me! I'm gorgeous! Not an ounce of fat on me anywhere!"

"Are you sure about that, Kida-kun?" Masaomi tensed after recognizing the voice, memories of the prior night and his strange feelings and loops that his stomach kept doing, "I mean, look at your cheeks." Izaya said, coming over to pinch the blonde's cheeks to make his point, "Shut up! My cheeks are perfectly fine!" Since his cheeks were being pulled every which way, his words came out a bit jumbled, earning chuckle from the older who let go of the younger's cheeks to poke at his stomach, "Hm, seems to me as though you have fat here too…." The blonde quickly swatted the older's hands away, storming downstairs, muttering loud enough so that he could hear, "No food for Izaya. I was actually thinking about making some Fatty Tuna too."

"Aw, we can make a compromise, can't we, Kida-kun?" Izaya went rushing down the stairs at hearing this, trying to get the blonde to forgive him for the teasing, wanting that Fatty Tuna like his life depended on it. "Nope. Say, Mairu, Kururi, what do you guys want to eat for breakfast?" Masaomi asked the twins who came prancing down the stairs soon after Izaya. The girls hummed thoughtfully, sharing glances before smirking. "Fatty Tuna!" Masaomi instantly knew that they were trying to make Izaya suffer and grinned, nodding. "Great idea."

"You're making some for me too, right?"

"I told you no."

"But—"

"No."

Izaya went silent after that and went to go mope at the table, earning a giggle from the two girls who stuck their tongues out at the oldest who just ignored them, head faced down onto the table. Soon, everyone's meals were ready and the blonde placed everyone's plates in front of them. The girls had the tuna along with some juice while Izaya had some eggs and his coffee. The blonde settled for some cereal, not really craving anything else. Though he hid some Fatty Tuna on the chair beside him. Izaya didn't seem to notice the extra tuna and just kept his head down, staring intently at his eggs. "Are your eggs really that interesting, Izaya?"

"Yes, I'm quite interested in their egg anatomy."

"…Egg anatomy?"

"Iza-nii's officially lost it."

"Mhm."

_All this over some Fatty Tuna? I know the girls said he loved it, but this is ridiculous. I could laugh_— And he did laugh. Hard. He laughed so hard that tears spilled out of his eyes and he almost fell out of his chair. Almost.

"…Masa-nii's officially lost it too." Kururi made another sound of agreement, flickering her gaze from her brother to Masaomi every few seconds.

"Oh my God, that was great! Haven't laughed that hard in ages!" Masaomi shouted, after finally recovering his breath and his sanity. "Here, you big baby." He said, shoving the plate in front of the moping male who hadn't once looked up from his plate since he placed it there. Though, as soon as the Fatty Tuna came into view, he instantly brightened and launched himself at the blonde, "I'm so happy I could kiss you!" And he tried too, but this time Masaomi was prepared. "I'll take away your tuna if you do." This one harmless sentence had Izaya stopping in his tracks and retreating to his side of the table, quickly scarfing his tuna down, letting out pleasure filled hums at the satisfactory taste.

After that, everyone ate in a comfortable silence, washing their dishes when they finished their meal and then retreating to their separate areas to their own devices. Masaomi went up to Izaya's room, quickly changing into his clothes before prancing back downstairs, "Well, I'm going to head back home before Mikado's parents get more reasons to yell at me. Later."

"What about your studies?"

"Oh, that's right. Damn…It's Friday too, huh?"

"How about I go over and we can study there? I'd love to have another conversation with his parents before they left again. That work?" Izaya offered, getting up from the couch where he had been sitting tapping away on his phone, texting Namie about whatever it was that he was texting her about. "I guess…"

"Great, let me grab something before we go, okay? Wait right there." Izaya then went running up his stairs and back into his room, coming back down with a notebook in hand, leading the way out and over next door to the Ryugamine household. Masaomi brought out his key and unlocked the door, muttering a small, "I'm home." Out of habit, taking off his shoes like Japanese tradition before heading into the kitchen where he heard the clinking of silverware on plates. "Hey Mikado, Mr. and Mrs. Ryugamine, I'm back."

"Welcome back, Masaomi. Oh, hey Izaya. Didn't know you'd be coming over too." Mikado greeted the two of them with a smile and not just because his parents were there. That was just how Mikado was. "Yeah, he's going to help me study for that test on Monday." Izaya nodded his head in confirmation, "I thought it'd be nice to give him a few pointers." Mikado nodded in understanding, sipping from his cup while his mom raised a brow, "Test?"

"Yes, there is a test that we're having in all of our classes on what we've been learning lately. It should be pretty easy, but there's no harm in going over things just to be sure, is there?" Mrs. Ryugamine choked on her water, earning concerned looks from everyone while Mr. Ryugamine patted her back. Once her lungs were functioning properly again, she turned towards Izaya, "Wait, you're in high school?!"

"Last year, yes."

"Oh my—I thought you were long since graduated by now with how respectful you were and how well you talked about business yesterday!" She exclaimed, looking more than startled at this news. Looks really don't always tell the truth. "Aha, that so? Well, if you'd excuse us, but we should probably get to studying."

"Yes, go on. Sorry for the delay."

"It was no problem at all."

Izaya then started pushing the blonde up the stairs, ignoring the blonde's protest and complains about studying and how it was a combination of student and dying. "Oh hush, Kida-kun. Do you want to pass high school or not?"

"I do, but…"

"But?"

"I don't want to have to study…"

"…Ridiculous, Kida-kun."

"Shut up."

Once they made it inside the blonde's room, Izaya set out to inspecting every little thing, much to Masaomi's discomfort. Once Izaya got to the blonde's library of manga and light novels, he cocked a brow, "Are you what they call an _otaku_?" He questioned, picking up a random book and flipping through it curiously, glancing back at the blonde who was spread out on his bed. "I suppose, not as serious as Erika and Walker though." Izaya chuckled at the thought of Erika and Walker, they sure were something. Setting the book back in its spot, he moved to sit down on the floor in front of Masaomi's newly added coffee table, the blonde following suit and sitting directly across from him. "Well, let's get to studying now."

"Do we have to?" The blonde cried, sending hateful glares towards the papers already spread out on the table.

"Yes, unless you want to do something more fun." Izaya wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, earning a disgusted scowl from the blonde who quickly picked up a textbook, "I'm studying, I'm studying."

"I knew you would say that."

"Just shut up before I shut you up."

"Oh my, kinky are we—"

Masaomi tossed a pillow at the raven's face, flushing in both embarrassment and anger, before letting out an annoyed 'hmph' and turning the page of his textbook. Only to have that same pillow thrown back into his face, startling the blonde and causing him to drop the book. "What the—" He turned to glare at the smirking elder. "Just getting payback."

And that was how a pillow fight broke out, causing the teen and almost adult to completely forget about studying and instead focus on beating each other.

What has this world come to?

* * *

**Okay, this one wasn't the best. More of a filler chapter but whateves. Could you tell that it was rushed at the end too or was that just me and my weird skill to find my faults? Meh, whatever. Anyways, I have no idea what Mikado's parents personalities are really like so I just experimented with them. Oh, and did anyone catch that loophole that I had purposely made? I mean, come on. Would I really stop my otp from kissing? Not likely. Unless I feel like torturing them. ;P **

**Review, and look forward to the next chapter! ...Whenever that is...**


	21. Chapter 21

**I swear this won't become a common thing, but just in case it does, you should expect updates to come every two weeks, since I seem to fail so spectacularly at reaching weekly deadlines. OTL. Anyways, I hope everyone is having a great new year and here is your first chapter of the year which I purposely made long! Hope you enjoy this chapter and your year!**

**Disclamier: Durarara! does not belong to me, it belongs to Ryohgo Narita. Everything mentioned in my story belongs to each respective owner.**

* * *

Chapter 21

The Holidays.

Monday had arrived much faster than anyone would have honestly preferred, especially a certain blonde that went by the name of Kida Masaomi. After Masaomi and Izaya had decided it'd be wise to end their pillow fight and actually get down to studying, the two had worked hard into the night in order to guarantee that Masaomi would get nothing less than an eighty percent on their tests. They had studied on Saturday and Sunday as well, going over mathematical strategies, major events in history, scientific terms, and everything else that may or may not be on the test. Masaomi was actually amazingly decent in every subject, all except for one. History. God knew how much the blonde loathed that subject. Always had, and undoubtedly always will. The teacher, Celty, was really nice and always was willing to help others, Masaomi had no problem with her, or the other history teachers that he had. He just hated having to remember all these events that took place in the past. And when I say every detail, I mean every detail. From the causes all the way to how it currently affects humanity. What significance does it have to education, anyways?

Masaomi's distaste aside, that Monday Mr. and Mrs. Ryugamine were scheduled to return to wherever it was they came from, work was piling up again and they could not afford to be away longer than a week. They had already stayed for four days, five with Monday, much longer than they had originally planned. Mikado did not seem too indifferent once he heard about them leaving again; he had probably grown used to it after all this time. Masaomi had to be the most disappointed that they were leaving so soon. Like he had said awhile back, they were like second-parents to him. He loved them and he was sure they loved him back. Of course, there was the whole incident with the business, but he knew that they didn't really hate him as much as they tried to show. He was just too loveable after all. Plus, they knew him for years. He and Mikado were always together after all, ever since birth. If you were to ask them, they'd probably say he was like a second son. Sure, they were scary sometimes but they meant well and Masaomi knew it. He honestly wished that they would stay longer, especially since Christmas was just around the corner. There wasn't much he could do now though. Monday was here, their bags were packed, and they would be taking off around the time school started.

Masaomi wanted to give them a proper goodbye, thus he woke up earlier than he probably normally would on a school day, or _any _day for that matter. As expected, the two adults were already up and putting their bags in the trunk of their car, Mikado was helping them too. To say that the three of them were surprised to see Masaomi was an understatement, they literally thought they were hallucinating, so they rubbed their eyes and pinched themselves, before exclaiming, "Masaomi?! Is that really you?! Up this early?!" He didn't know if he should feel offender by their disbelieving tones or not. Once he explained to them exactly _why_ he was up so early, they smiled fondly and pulled him into a rather bone crushing family hug. _See, they really do love me! _He had though childishly, before laughing and returning the embrace.

Soon, the parental figures to both Mikado and Masaomi were done stuffing their luggage into the car and came back to the boys for one more hug, "Now, you two boys be good and study hard, alright? Oh, and Masaomi? Try not to blow anyone's hair off while we're gone." Everyone laughed at the joke, still finding the entire ordeal from years ago, hilarious. "No promises." Once their giggles were ceased, Mr. and Mrs. Ryugamine got into the car and waved goodbye, before driving off, promising to call once they arrived back at, what did they say again? Italy? France? America? Who knows, Masaomi wasn't really paying attention. Mikado and Masaomi had watched the two drive off, glad to have them gone, but not at the same time. "Well, we better get ready for school. Masaomi, didn't you say you wanted to do one more round of review before school started?"

"Oh, that's right! What time is it? Ahh, Mikado? Mind helping me out?"

And that was how the two found themselves all dressed, ready for school, sitting at the kitchen table, going over major historical events that Masaomi couldn't, for the life of him, remember a single thing about. No matter how much he studied, he could not do it. Mikado was kind enough to ask him questions about history on the way there, which helped a _teeny_ bit. When Masaomi arrived in history class and Celty asked him if he was ready for the test, he practically sobbed, retreating to his desk to mope over his soon-to-be failure, leaving behind a very bewildered Celty Sturluson. Izaya soon entered and sat down in his desk, once catching eye of the moping blonde, he snickered, but refrained from saying anything.

"Why does the world hate me so?"

When lunch period arrived, Masaomi was in brighter spirits. He was still pretty bummed out about having to take so many tests that day, but since the history test was out of the way, he was happier. Masaomi, accompanied by Yatabe and the other guys, made his way to the big tree located outside the cafeteria building for lunch. Eating outside at the tree had become their regular eating spot. As wholeheartedly expected, the topic over lunch today was the tests they had. Everyone was talking about how they think they did, what was difficult, what was easier. When discussion over the history test came, the depression came rushing back to Masaomi who hung his head in defeat when they asked him how he thought he did. They tried their best to reassure him that he did fine, but he would have none of that sympathetic talk. Either way, everyone was excited to see their scores the following day, which is the date everything was expected to be graded.

When the next period bell rang, Masaomi, Aoba, and Neko walked to Art Class together, talking about – you guessed it, — the tests today. When Aoba told Masaomi that this block would be their free time block, since Gramps and all the other special activities teachers preferred to let the kids rest during their blocks after testing, the blonde practically shouted in joy, prancing all the way to the Art room. Most students used this time to study for their next block's tests, but not Masaomi. No, not him. He was confident he could pass the others tests that he had after this easily. Aoba and Neko decided that they would study during this time, leaving the blonde all alone and bored. Normally, Izaya would be there to keep him company and not bored, but today Izaya had to be in his normal class, since it was testing day and all. Not to mention there was that tension between both gangs. It was starting to die down, but better be safe than sorry. Therefore, Masaomi suffered by himself, playing a very excruciatingly boring game of Flappy Bird on his Smartphone, that being the only thing he could think of doing to pass the time.

Next hour passed by in a blur as well, everyone was finally at their last class of the day. Most were still testing, most were done and just waiting for the day to end. Masaomi was one of those in the last category; he was currently in Study Hall with Mr. Shingen, his last class of the day. Thankfully, not many people talked about their tests, not wanting to dwell and worry about their scores anymore. Everyone was back to how they normally would be, talking about what they did over Thanksgiving break and talking about what they would do over Winter Break. At the table Masaomi sat at, the normal gang was there. It was how it was during the beginning, before all this gang stuff got in the way. Aoba, Neko, Mikado, Izaya, Saki, Anri, and Namie were sitting at the same table Masaomi was. Sure, they had a few new people, but it was how it used to be, and no problems arose. Except for the occasional angry talk between Aoba and Izaya, but everyone was used to that by now.

"Hey, are you having a party this Christmas, Izaya?" Saki asked, trying to separate him and Aoba from another verbal fight, like the angel she was. It worked too, the fight stopped, and everyone was discussing the topic now, waiting for Izaya's response. "A Christmas party this year? Hm, that's a good question. I actually had plans this Christmas…" Izaya's eyes flickered over and landed on Masaomi, but moved back to focus on Saki, successfully confusing said blonde. "But it couldn't hurt to have one, right? We could have one the weekend before Christmas. How does that sound?" Saki hummed thoughtfully, before nodding her head in agreement, "That works, yeah. You said you have plans though, right? Are you sure you want to have a party?"

"It's fine, really. I had plans on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, thus having a party won't affect anything. You'll help with the invitations again, right?" Saki nodded, giving one of her smiles, "Yup! I'll help purchase decorations again, too! Oh, what are we going to do about the food? Are we paying another chef to cook for us?" A smirk graced Izaya's lips as he shook his head, "Oh, no. Mairu, Kururi, and I already found someone for that."

"You did? Who?" Saki asked, tilting her head curiously, not having heard anything about it. "Why, Kida-kun, of course!" All eyes turned to look at the blonde who choked on his water once it was said, "Wait, what?! Me?!" Izaya nodded his head, smirk never leaving his face, "Yes, you! Did I stutter?"

"No, but—but—but—" Masaomi didn't even know what he was trying to say, thus he kept tripping over his words, stuttering incoherent sentences, "Buuuut what?" Izaya teasingly asked, resting his chin on his propped up hand. "I can't cook!"

"You can't cook? What nonsense are you spreading, Kida-kun? You can cook, very well too! Don't you remember? You cooked for us during Thanksgiving break. It was a rather lovely meal too. Oh! I know, you just want to cook for me, huh? How sweet of you, Kida-kun—" Masaomi flushed in embarrassment – or was that anger? – slamming his hands on to the table, glaring at the smirking male, "That's not it! As if!"

"Then why are you lying? Saying that you can't cook?" Masaomi crossed his arms, huffing in annoyance, "I'm saying I can't cook because I can't…" Izaya opened his mouth, ready to start protesting again, but Mikado beat him to it, "What Masaomi is trying to say is that he can't cook all sorts of things. He can only make certain things without it turning into a disaster." Masaomi nodded, grinning sheepishly, sending Mikado a thankful look. "Oh. Well, I'm sure Mairu, Kururi, and I could make the things that you can't. Saki loves cooking too, I'm sure she'd be more than eager to show you how, right Saki?" Saki nodded, practically beaming at the thought, "Yup! Namie likes to cook too, so she can help as well, isn't that right, Namie?" Once the attention was on her, Namie flushed in embarrassment, not used to this whole ordeal, "I suppose, yes."

"Now that that is settled, would you help with the food, Kida-kun?" Izaya asked, earning a scoff from the blonde, "Now you ask?" Huffing, the blonde nodded, "I guess I don't have much of a choice now, do I?" Izaya chuckled, popping the _p _sound."Nope!"

"Wait, so you can cook, Kida-senpai?" Aoba asked, brows furrowed, while Neko looked just as surprised, maybe even more so. Scratching his cheek awkwardly, the blonde nodded. "How come you haven't cooked anything for us, nya?!" Neko exclaimed, causing the blonde to give a startled jump and shrug. "Because he only cooks for his lover, in that case, me. Isn't that right, Kida-kun?" Izaya replied for the blonde, grinning mischievously while jumping onto Masaomi's back, who in return made a strangled sound, complaining about how heavy Izaya was, when in reality, we all know Masaomi actually weighs more than Izaya. "Ew, no! If that was true, Mairu and Kururi would be my lovers not_ you_, since _they_ were the ones who convinced _me_ to cook for _them_! You just happened to be there!" Izaya made a shooing motion with his hand, "Eh, details, details." Masaomi rolled his eyes, giving up on trying to get Izaya off of him since the older male wouldn't budge an inch. He was like a koala!

"Alright, that aside, who should I invite? Same as usual?" Saki asked, trying to get them all back on topic, writing down notes for the party in her notebook, trying to get everything organized. "Yeah, that sounds fine. Invite Kida-kun's friends too. The Yellow Scarves and these two." Izaya replied after a second, pointing at Aoba and Neko. Saki nodded and wrote something down in her notebook, "Is there anything you had in mind for decorations this time?"

"No, not really, just a Christmas-like style or something. I'll leave that up to you this time though. " Saki nodded and hummed thoughtfully, "Masaomi? Would you mind helping me shop for decorations?" Masaomi shook his head, completely missing the disappointed look that came from a certain someone, "No, I'll help. When do you want to go shopping?"

"How does sometime this week sound? I'm thinking the weekend, unless you have plans." Masaomi thought over his schedule, shaking his head after a minute, finding that he had no plans for months, "No, I'm free during the weekend. So, the weekend it is?" Saki nodded, handing Masaomi her phone and motioning for him to give her his, "Here, let's exchange numbers so that week can organize a meet-up and time later." Masaomi quickly typed his number in, labeling himself as, _The Awesome Kida Masaomi_, earning a giggle out of Saki once she saw it. "Alright, so food and decorations are all set. What about music?"

"Well, since this is going to be a Christmas party, we must play Christmas music. None of those terrible carols though. You know how much I hate those, Saki." Izaya wrinkled his nose in distaste, moving so that he was on the blonde's back anymore, instead at his side. Saki giggled and nodded, writing more down in her notebook, Namie took this time to ask her own question, "Is it going to be another dress-up party?"

"It'd be more fun that way, so yes. Wearing a mere Santa hat will work; make you sure tell people that. Oh, it's optional too. Unless you're Kida-kun." Masaomi made an aggravated sound, obviously he was glad that it was going to be optional, but of course, Izaya being Izaya, noticed and decided to torture the poor teen. "Why?! That's so unfair! I swear, you just love torturing me, you damn sadist!" Izaya and everyone else actually laughed at the fuming blonde, finding amusement in the blonde's suffering. "If I'm forced to dress up, then you have too as well, Izaya!" Izaya raised a brow, "Are you trying to challenge me, Kida-kun?"

"What if I am?"

"Challenge accepted. Whoever dresses up the best, wins. The loser has to do whatever the winner demands. Deal?"

"Wait, what—" Before the blonde could finish, Izaya interrupted. Typical. "Oh? What's this? Are you backing down from a challenge. My, oh my. What a surprise. Guess you were too scared after all, huh—"

"Fine! Challenge accepted, you bastard! Don't come crying to me begging for mercy when I win!"

"Likewise!"

Everyone else present at the table sighed at the two's antics, but tried to stay away from the competitive tension that was brewing between the two. No one wanted to get involved after all, knowing it couldn't lead to anything good. Before the two could make any more ridiculous challenges, the bell rang and everyone started packing up, heading home for the day. Once outside, everyone parted ways. Everyone except for Masaomi, Mikado, and Izaya who were all headed in the same direction. It was another one of their calm quiet walks, that is, until Masaomi came up with another one of his ridiculous challenges. "Izaya, I challenge you to a race!"

"A race?" Said male questioned, curiosity instantly grabbed as soon as the challenge was spoken. "Yup! Whoever arrives at the sidewalk in front of our houses last has to pay the winner money in order to pay rent!" _So, this is just Masaomi's way to get money for rent…_ Mikado and Izaya simultaneously thought, each having their own reactions. "Deal. Ryugamine, will you say go for us? That way it's fair." Mikado nodded, "Oh, Mikado. Mind holding my bag for me? Don't want to be held back by the weight!" Mikado took the blonde's bag without so much as a word, just nodding his head, rolling his eyes when the blonde tried to make some ridiculous retort to Izaya after said male asked, "What's a little extra weight gonna do?"

"Ready? Set…Go!"

With that, the two were off, sprinting down the street all the way home, while Mikado just trailed behind, not to eager in wasting his precious oxygen. "That Masaomi really is an idiot…"

_DuRaRaRa! !_

By the time Mikado had arrived, Masaomi and Izaya were in a heated discussion – discussion, more like argument – about who actually won and didn't win. Masaomi had won, but Izaya would say that he was the one who actually won by default since he had the extra luggage and was only a few feet behind the blonde. Masaomi wouldn't listen and kept shouting about how he won and that was that. When they noticed Mikado arrive, they both turned to him and started shouting their own arguments at him, that was until Masaomi noticed what exactly it was that Mikado was eating, "Mikado! Where did you get that?!"

Blinking in surprise, Mikado pointed to Masaomi's bag, much to the blonde's dismay, "Mikado, how could you?! I was saving that!" In his walk to the house, Mikado had grown hungry and went rummaging through the blonde's bag, knowing that Masaomi carried food of some kind with him. When he spotted the chocolate bar, he instantly grabbed it, ignoring his conscious that was telling him not to eat it, since Masaomi had to be saving it. "Revenge for the time you ate my chocolate." Masaomi opened his mouth to argue, but shut it, knowing he had lost that argument. Instead, he turned back to Izaya and started arguing, asking for his money.

While the two argued about _that, _Mikado made his way past them and inside his home to do some cleaning, ignoring the angry shouts behind him that demanded he help them settle their little argument. Shutting them both up with a, "You two made the deal, now settle it yourselves."

"…What's up with Mikado? Maybe I should give him my snickers. After all, you're not you when you're hungry."

DuRaRaRa!

The following day passed by in a blur, everyone was eager to see how well they did on the test, but were forced to wait until last block, which was when they would get their scores handed out to them, much to everyone's frustration. When last block did arrive, everyone was squirming in their seats, unless you were Izaya and Aoba. The two seemed confident that they did extraordinary well, considering how smart they were. When they had realized they told Masaomi the same thing as soon as he asked, they glared at each other and _hmph_-ed_. _No doubt, hating how they were thinking the same thing at the same exact time too. Shingen passed everything out alphabetically, by last name. With that in mind, Masaomi got his first out of the three of them. Next was Aoba, and then finally Izaya. Aoba and Izaya didn't even have to glance at theirs to know they got the highest scores out of the entire school. Masaomi had demanded they look at it though. When they compared scores, they growled at each other when they saw that they pretty much got the exact same scores, adding fuel to the fire. Everyone knew how much they hated being considered the same. Not wanting to focus on that any longer, Aoba turned his full undivided attention onto Masaomi and asked, "Senpai, how did you do?"

Masaomi didn't even want to look at his paper, fearing the worst, thus instead, he handed it to Aoba and plopped his head onto his arms, looking fearfully up at the younger, "…Well? How did I do? Terrible, right?" Aoba shook his head and showed the blonde the paper, "You actually did pretty well, senpai. See? You worried for nothing! Your history score was actually one of the highest too!" Masaomi didn't believe a word the younger male said, and instead snatched the paper from Aoba and examined the results himself, going wide eyed when he realized that Aoba was telling the truth, "That's impossible! I could have sworn I did terrible!"

"See? You're smarter than you give yourself credit for, Kida-kun! My tutoring had to have been a big help too!" Izaya exclaimed, peering over the blonde's shoulder, looking at the paper containing his results, "You hardly taught me anything! Instead, you kept fooling around! …But I guess you _did_ sort of help…" Izaya stuck his tongue out at Aoba, who in return just rolled his eyes, not even bothering with sending a glare Izaya's way – though he really wanted to.

The rest of the period, everyone compared scores and made jokes about each other's scores, everyone except for Masaomi. He was far too busy staring at his paper, trying to figure out if the printer made a mistake or not because he couldn't have done _that_ good!

….Could he?

Sighing, he decided to leave it be, the better score he got the better. "As long as I pass, I'm good. The less history, the better."

_DuRaRaRa! _

The rest of the school week passed by in a flash and it was finally the weekend much to _everyone's _relief, Saturday to be exact. The previous day, Saki had texted him, asking if he wanted to meet up tomorrow for their shopping and if so, where and what time. They went into discussion and decided to meet up at Izaya's around ten in the morning. From there, they would go to whatever store it was that they needed to go to. Before they would leave, they had decided that they would ask Izaya if he needed them to pick up anything for him, since they were going to be out shopping for awhile. When the clock hit ten, Masaomi gave Mikado a quick good-bye before walking outside, just in time to see Saki walking up the sidewalk, waving at Masaomi as soon as she saw him. "Hey, Saki! You look nice today! Not that you don't look nice all the time!" He gave a wink, which she just giggled at and went walking up the stairs, "Thanks, Masaomi." That day, Saki was dressed in a cream-white blouse, along with some mid-knee redish-pink shorts, topped off with some black converse and a small shoulder purse. The outfit was simple, but she still looked nice.

Ringing the doorbell twice, Saki patiently waited for Izaya to come over and open the door, humming quietly to herself while Masaomi stood beside her, dressed in his cargo shorts and pink shirt-like-sweater instead of his normal black pants and cream-white sweater. Without having to wait long, Izaya opened the door with a grin, "Ah, Saki! Oh, why if it isn't Kida-kun too! So good to see you both! How can I help you? Come in, come in." Izaya ushered them in, shutting the door behind them. "Come now, have a seat. Can I get you two anything? A drink? Something to eat?"

"No, thank you. Masaomi and I were just wondering if there was anything you'd like us to pick up for the party. He and I were on our way to go and buy the decorations, like you asked." Izaya hummed thoughtfully, "Maybe buy some plastic cups and plates? Oh, and maybe some napkins…I'd say buy the alcohol, but you two are too young to be allowed to buy it, huh? Speaking of too young, is anyone driving you to the store? Neither of you are old enough to drive." Saki shook her head, "No..."

"Would you like me to tag along, then? I'm old enough to drive, you know. I can help with picking decorations too!" Izaya offered, grinning brightly. "Sure, I don't see why not." Saki replied with, not even having to think about it for a second. "Great! Give me a second to go change, grab my money and keys, okay? Try not to miss me too much~!" Without waiting for Masaomi's snarky remark, Izaya pranced off. "Ugh, do we _have_ to bring _him_ along?" Saki giggled and nodded, "Yes, now stop being a baby. It won't be that bad."

"But I was hoping to spend this day alone with you, my lovely Saki." Masaomi winked at her again, grinning while she just rolled her eyes and giggled, "Oh, too bad. You and I can have a proper date another time, okay?" He nodded, mentally cheering at how he earned himself a date. Just then, Izaya came back, dressed in black skinny jeans and a black and gray shirt-like sweater. "Come on, let's go!" Izaya led them all to his garage, unlocking his sports car and ushering everyone in – Masaomi wondered how Izaya managed to afford it, but decided it'd be wise not to ask. "Alright, what store are we heading to first?" Saki – who was seated in the shotgun since Masaomi decided to be a gentleman and practically shoved her inside – gave Izaya the directions, before reading off the check-list on what they were planning to buy to Izaya, asking him if that seemed good enough for the party. "Seems fine to me. What do you think, Kida-kun?"

"Seems fine to me too. Oh, but one thing." Izaya raised a brow and motioned for the blonde to continue, "Are you guys going to set up a Christmas tree?" He asked sheepishly, trying to conceal his own want for the decoration. "A Christmas tree? We've never done so before. Should we, Saki?" Saki hummed thoughtfully, before nodding, "It's never Christmas without a tree, right? I think we should. Do you have a tree and the decorations for the tree, Izaya? Or do we have to buy that too?"

"I have the tree and we might have a few decorations. It'd be wise to buy some though. Since I can't guarantee that we have any. " Saki nodded and added that to their list, "Anything else that you can think of, Kida-kun?" Masaomi shook his head, "Nope."

"A Christmas tree, huh? How cute of you, Kida-kun," Izaya teased, watching the blonde from the rearview mirror, grinning when he saw how flustered the blonde got, "S-Shut up!" Saki giggled at the blonde's reaction, which succeeded in embarrassing the blonde even more. Before they could say anything to embarrass him anymore, they arrived at the store, Masaomi quickly clambered out, not wanting to give them the chance of embarrassing him again, much to both Izaya and Saki's amusement. Upon entering the store, Saki hummed thoughtfully, before turning back to face the two males, "I think we'd get this done much faster if we separated the list and went separate ways. What do you guys' think?" The two nodded their heads in agreement, "Great, I'll go ahead and send you each a list for what you should get. Let's meet up right here once we finished finding everything, then we can go ahead and pay, okay?" The two nodded their heads, just as they received Saki's message. After reading it over, everyone went their own way, looking for the items on the list.

Soon, Masaomi and Saki ended up in the same aisle, Saki took this time to ask Masaomi something that had been bothering her ever since she first saw him that day, "Hey, Masaomi? Are you okay? You look like something has been on your mind and is bothering you. You know that you can always come and talk to me, right?" Masaomi blinked in surprise, since he wasn't expecting that from her. After coming over his shock, he gave her a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, I'm fine." When Saki gave him _that_ look, which screamed _are-you-really-trying-to-lie-to-me-right-now_, he put his free hand up in surrender, "I mean! I just don't want to lose to Izaya in that challenge about who would come dressed up the best for the party, you know? I guess that's been on my mind all day. What do you think I should do?"

Saki hummed thoughtfully, nodding her head to show that she understood. She let out a girly giggle, before she gave out her word of advice, "I think if you went dressed as a revealing Mrs. Claus, you'd totally win!" Masaomi flushed in embarrassment, "Saki!" She giggled again, "Or in nothing but a bow!" Masaomi groaned, hanging his head, "It was a bad idea to ask you for help…" Saki just laughed at him, before shaking her head, grinning, "Jokes aside, maybe going dressed as Santa Claus? Or Rudolph? Hm, no. I still think my first two recommendations were the best." Masaomi rolled his eyes, before an imaginary light bulb appeared on top of his head and he snapped his fingers, "Hey, Saki! Do you know what Izaya is going to do for his costume?"

"What Izaya is going to do? Hm, no. He hasn't told me anything actually." Masaomi cursed under his breath, before looking at her with a pleading look, "Think you can ask him and then tell me and together we can come up with something better?" Saki blinked, furrowing her brows and placing her free hand on her hip, "Wouldn't that be considered cheating?" Masaomi hunched up his shoulders, almost like how a puppy who was about to be punished for doing something bad was, "Maybe? Come on, please! Saki, you're the only chance I have at winning!"

"And why do you need to win so badly?" She curiously asked, not saying yes or no to helping yet, "Because this is Izaya! Mr. I-Never-Lose-And-Sure-As-Hell-Don't-Plan-To! Please, Saki! Please, please, please!" Saki stayed silent for a minute, thinking it over. _I've never gone against Izaya before. It seems…fun? Should I? I mean, Masaomi seems really desperate and…_ Releasing a sigh, Saki smiled and nodded, "Alright, fine. I'll help you. I'll figure out what Izaya will do and then get back to you, okay?" Masaomi nodded and cheered, doing some weird victory dance that caused Saki to laugh and witness second-hand embarrassment, "Alright, well. I'm done in this aisle, so I'll be heading to the next one. Make sure you finish your list, okay?" Masaomi nodded and waved at her, quickly grabbing anything he needed from the current aisle that he was in, before he moved to the next one.

After awhile, Lady Luck somehow made it so that Izaya and Masaomi ended up in the same aisle, which happened to be the glitter aisle, which was literally nothing but different colored glitter spread out all over – why they had such an aisle, Masaomi decided it'd be best not to ask, let him keep his sanity for a bit longer. Although, he'll admit, he'd love to mess around in this aisle. The two of them didn't say anything; they just silently grabbed the glitter that was on their list. Until they came upon a glitter gun – similar to a water gun, the only difference is that this gun shoots out glitter instead of water. They exchanged a look and nodded, both quickly grabbing the two guns that were on display and grabbing the nearest glitter bottle, popping it into the ammo, before shooting at each other, much like children. They dropped their bags with their items on the floor in favor of going all out with their shooting. They were only battling to the death with glitter for about two minutes and they already had made a huge mess, glitter was spread out all over, broken glitter bottles were all over the floor, things were knocked all over the place. If you were to sum it up, it looked as though a tornado had passed through in that one aisle. Suddenly, one of the employees that was on their shift – who just so happened to be the boss – screamed, and shouted, "Oh my dudeness, what is going on here?! Both of you, cease your ridiculous actions this second—" Before the employee could finish his sentence, the two accidentally shot him in the face with glitter, causing much of the sparkly item to go into his open mouth. Both froze in their spots at the same time, watching as the male in front of them went red in anger, "Both of you, out! You are banned from shopping here ever again! If I so much as see you in here one more time, I will call the cops!"

"Oh shit!" They simultaneously cursed, dropping the guns onto the floor, and running out the door before the angered worker could smack them with the broom he materialized out of nowhere. Meanwhile, Saki watched the whole ordeal from afar, sighing and moving to pick up their discarded baskets, sliding their items into her own basket, before moving onto the next aisle, fully intent on finishing the list. "Boys…I'll never ask for their help in buying things ever again. They get distracted way too easily."

_DuRaRaRa!_

After being chased out of the store, Masaomi and Izaya waited in Izaya's car for Saki to finish her shopping. Sure, they felt bad for making Saki buy everything herself, but it wasn't their fault they were kicked out of the store and banned from ever entering again…Okay, maybe they w_ere_ at fault. But it was the stores own dang fault for having something as tempting as a _glitter gun_. I mean, who could say _no_ to _that_?! Certainly not Masaomi and Izaya, more so Masaomi. "I totally won that fight by the way." Masaomi muttered after getting tired of sitting in silence for so long, earning a scoff from Izaya who turned to face the blonde from his spot in the front, "Oh? That so? I could have sworn that _I _had won. Are you absolutely _sure_ that you're not imagining things?"

"I'm _positive_. I'd do it again if I could too!" Izaya and Masaomi had a stare down before both went into their own little fit of chuckles and laughs. Once Masaomi had recovered his breath, he looked in the direction of the store, "Think Saki is doing alright?" Izaya hummed, before shrugging, "She is a very capable woman, I'm sure she's doing fine. I do wish I could have continued helping her though. She does so much for me after all." Masaomi nodded, not doubting that for a second. In the short time he had known Saki; she had been nothing but helpful and kind towards others, especially him. That is why he felt even worse for getting kicked out and making Saki be the only one collecting the necessary items for the party when he had promised to help her. Just then, he saw her coming out with dozens and dozens of bags in hand. _This is my chance to make it up to her! _He thought, before running out of the car and over towards Saki, "Saki, my darling! I'm sorry about getting kicked out and not helping you like I promised! But I'm here now and willing to help you carry those bags since a beautiful lady such as yourself shouldn't be stuck carrying everything!" Saki gave Masaomi a look before giving in and handing Masaomi some of the bags; her arms _were_ starting to hurt… "Here, give me those. I'll help too." They turned to see Izaya with his hand outstretched, motioning for Saki to give him the bags, she hesitantly handed them over. With the two boys demanding to hold all the bags, she was left empty-handed and was given permission to get settled into the car and start it up while they put all the bags in the trunk. Once that was done, the two of them got inside too and buckled themselves up. "Where to now, Saki?"

"It's noon and therefore lunch time. Are you guys' hungry? We can stop and get something to eat before we continue our shopping." Saki offered, looking back and forth between the two males who nodded, "That sounds good. Can we go to Russia Sushi? I love their food, so…" Masaomi gave a sheepish grin, only to have Izaya and Saki nod their heads in agreement, "Yeah, that sounds good. Are you in the mood for sushi, Izaya?" He nodded, already heading in the direction of the famous restaurant, "I'm always in the mood for sushi. Especially—"

"Fatty Tuna." Masaomi finished for him, already knowing what Izaya was going to say, causing Saki to giggle, "Why, you have been observant lately, haven't you, Kida-kun?" Masaomi shrugged, grinning in triumph, "After that one time I know what to expect." Izaya wrinkled his nose in distaste, remembering how tortuous that was for him, being denied Fatty Tuna and all. "Right…" Saki raised a brow, but by the look Izaya gave her, she thought that it'd be wise not to ask, so she didn't.

Soon, they arrived at Russia Sushi and were rushing to get in, each person eager to get a taste of the delicious food that Simon and Dennis served, "Ah, Kida, Izaya, Saki. Good to see you. You eat sushi today?" Simon greeted them as soon as they sat down in front of him, smiling as he prepared sushi for the other customers. "Yes, I'll have the usual." Izaya quickly responded, sending his own smile towards Simon and even one towards Dennis who was in the background. "I'll have the usual too, Simon." Saki responded, smiling kindly while taking the cup that was handed to her graciously and taking a sip of the water, "I'll have the same that I had last time, Simon." Masaomi piped in, taking a sip of the water that had just been set in front of him, sending an appreciative glance towards Simon. "Meals be done soon."

"You said, 'last time,' does that mean you've been here already?" Masaomi nodded in response to Saki's question, raising a brow when Izaya made a hurt look, he explained his offended look before Masaomi had the chance to ask though, "Does that mean you came here without me? Kida-kun, I'm hurt. I thought we had agreed we'd come here together for our first date. Have you been cheating on me?" Masaomi choked on his water – he seemed to be doing that a lot lately actually, but never mind that. "What?! I never agreed to that and we sure as hell aren't dating either! Stop spreading nonsense!" Izaya frowned, "So, that means you _have_ been cheating on me?" Masaomi gave Izaya a weird look, "Did you not just hear what I said? We're not dating, so no, I didn't cheat on you. If it makes you feel any better, I came here with Yatabe. You remember him? He's my friend." Izaya moved in for a hug, rubbing their cheeks against each other, "Aw, I knew you'd never cheat on me!" Masaomi groaned, sending Saki a pleading look, who just giggled in response. "Izaya, get _off_." Izaya complied, but only since his Fatty Tuna had arrived at that exact moment. Masaomi sent Simon and Dennis a thankful look, causing them to chuckle in response.

As the two teens and soon-to-be adult ate their meals, Masaomi turned to Saki with a questioning glance, "Where are we headed to after this?" Izaya's attention was caught too and looked at the female, looking curious as well, "I was planning on heading to the grocery store in order to buy the items we'll need for the snacks we're going to make as well as the plastic plates and cups, oh and the napkins. Since Izaya came along with us, he can buy the alcohol. _If _he doesn't get kicked out again, same to you, Masaomi." The two shared a look and smiled at her apologetically, "Alright, sounds good." Masaomi responded, turning back to his food and practically being a human vacuum and finishing his food quickly, stretching and patting his stomach soon after. "Ahh, that was good. Thanks for the food, Simon, Dennis!" The two said males nodded before turning back to their work, "Well, whenever you guys are done I'm ready. What?"

"…That…was crazy fast!"

"Almost like the real life version of Allen Walker from D. Gray-Man!"

The three of them turned to see Erika and Walker standing behind them, eyes shining in amazement at what they had just seen, "Wait, what?" Masaomi questioned, tilting his head to the side, "Yumachi is right! You were like the real life version of Allen Walker! You know, from the amazing anime and manga D. Gray-Man!" Walker nodded his head while Erika spoke, "Hm, but are you short enough to be him? How tall are you, Masaomi?" Deciding it'd be interesting to humor them while Izaya and Saki finished eating, he responded, "Five-foot and seven inches." Erika and Walker exchanged looks, before turning to each other to properly discuss this topic about his height, "Hm, Al is five-foot and six inches." Walker shook his head, "No, no, no. That was his former height. He's currently five-foot and eight-and-a-half inches." Erika bonked herself on the head, "Oh, that's right! How could I forget! I'm such an idiot!" Walker patted her on the shoulder, "Wait, so that would mean that Masaomi is about his height, huh? If we were comparing Masaomi with the old Allen, then he'd be taller, but if we're comparing with the current Allen, then he's shorter…"

"Technically speaking, Yumachi, they're about the same height."

"True, true."

Masaomi was beyond confused by now and it didn't take them long to notice, "Oh, sorry about that Masaomi—Yumachi! They don't look similar though. Masaomi's hair isn't straight enough! Al has silver eyes too! If I remember correctly, Al is paler than Masaomi too…" Walker tilted his head to the side and hummed thoughtfully, "Maybe if we put a wig on him? To get the scar on him we'll have to use makeup too…Same for the hand." Erika and Walker faced each other again and went off into discussion about…whatever it was they were talking about, Masaomi lost them ages ago. "Erika, Walker. You're losing him again." Izaya helpfully informed the two otakus who were getting deeper and deeper into their conversation, "Oh, right. Sorry you guys. Yumachi, we'll finish this conversation later." The two went to sit down beside the three, asking for cups of water from Simon and Dennis, "So, what are you three doing here?"

"We were shopping, but we got hungry and decided to stop here and get something to eat." Saki responded to their question, taking another bite from her meal, "Shopping? What for? Cosplays?" Izaya shook his head to tell them that they weren't shopping for cosplay – much to their disappointment, "No, we were shopping for my Christmas party. We were getting the decorations." Erika nodded, showing that she understood, "Oh, that's right. We heard about that! We'll be there, don't worry! It's not like we have anything else planned that day, right Yumachi?" He nodded, "Right!" Izaya smiled at them apologetically, "Sorry you two, but we really should get going right about now. We'll see you later, okay?" The two nodded, waving at the three as they started walking away, "See you guys later!"

Once they were back inside Izaya's car, Masaomi asked the question that had been on his mind the entire time Erika and Walker were talking, "Did anyone understand what they were talking about? Because I have no clue and I feel neglected." Saki and Izaya chuckled at the blonde's comment about how he felt neglected, "Don't worry, Kida-kun. You weren't the only one lost. All I know is that they were talking about some anime, also a manga. I wouldn't know since I don't have time for that stuff." Masaomi nodded in understanding, as they drove off to the grocery store.

"…I still feel neglected and I don't like it."

_DuRaRaRa!_

In no time wasted, the three of them arrived at the grocery store and were getting everything on their list with little to no problem at all. Unlike the previous store, Saki didn't have them split up for fear that the two males would get kicked out of the store again, leaving her to get everything all by herself. It wasn't that she would mind having to get everything by herself, she really wouldn't mind. It's just she didn't think getting kicked out of two stores in one day was such a good idea. It took them longer, yes, but oh well; it was by far better than having them kicked out. The only time she let them split up was either for a restroom break or when she sent Izaya to get the alcohol for their older guests – or for the ones who were immature and liked drinking at their young age, not that she or anyone else was judging. That was their own damn decision, if they wanted to get wasted and ruin their life, so be it. Although, soon enough, they were all done getting everything they needed and were putting everything they just bought into the trunk of Izaya's car. Just when they were about to get going back to Izaya's house, one of Saki's friends came up to her and invited her to join them. Join them and do what? Masaomi didn't know. Something girly perhaps? Seemed the most logical… Masaomi could tell how bad Saki wanted to go with them, but then she glanced at Izaya and him and bit onto her bottom lip in hesitance, looking like she was going to decline their offer. Before she could even utter _one_ syllable, Masaomi spoke up, pushing her gently to the group of females that had appeared earlier, "Go on, Saki! As much as I _love_ having you around and you know that, you should go and have fun with your fellow amazingly beautiful female race. Okay?"

"But I promised to help you and Izaya with the party preparations. We had plans; I don't want to bail on you guys while you two do all the work. That wouldn't be nice of me and—" To get Saki quiet, Masaomi put his hand up in front of her face, successfully silencing her, "Saki, my love. Go on and have fun, just not too much fun or else I'll feel betrayed." Masaomi said, only to get smacked upside the head by Izaya, earning a giggle from Saki and the other females, "There's no way I could have too much fun without you around, Masaomi. You're like the living, breathing entity of fun." Masaomi flashed a bright grin, "I know, I know, I'm awesome, aren't I?"

"Saki, don't help his ego grow. It's big enough as it is, he'll just end up getting hurt when he realizes it all isn't true." Masaomi frowned, sending his hateful glare towards Izaya, before _hmph_-ing and turning his attention back to the ladies who, he deemed, needed him the most right then and there. "Anyways, go on and have fun. We'll be fine on our own. We won't do much until you get back, promise." Finally deciding to give in, Saki waved goodbye to them and piled inside her friend's car with all the others, every single one of them giggling about some joke or whatnot one of them made, he didn't pay too much attention since he was 'caught off guard by their good looks' as he'd say in a situation like this.

With Saki gone, Masaomi took shot-gun on the right side of the car, while Izaya drove in his driver's seat on the left. He drove them back home, since they had everything they needed from decorations, to cooking supplies, and beyond. The drive back home was a silent one without Saki there for Masaomi to joke around with and hit-on every few seconds only to be laughed at and kindly turned down. Though this silence wasn't an awkward tense one, not even close. It was one of those comfortable soothing silences that these two had every now and then. When they had finally arrived home, Masaomi and Izaya started unloading the bags with their groceries and supplies. What was supposed to be a normal task, turned into a competition about who could carry the most bags inside without anything dropping or anyone complaining, started by – you guessed it – Masaomi himself. It ended up being Izaya's win when Mairu and Kururi tackled the blonde to the floor, causing him to drop everything _and_ complain, "Oh dear, looks like I won again, Kida-kun. Better luck next time." Masaomi growled and bolted up right, bringing the girls who clinged onto him with him, "Why you—That's not fair! I have a good excuse!"

"Relying on excuses? My, I didn't peg you to be the type who'd do _anything_ in order to not admit their _defeat_. I guess I love that about you too." Masaomi ignored the comment that was supposed to make him fluster, too busy consumed by anger and the need to prove Izaya wrong in both things now – Izaya can be defeated and Masaomi did not use excuses to get out of admitting defeat. "Once all the bags are out, we'll split the bags evenly and see who can put everything away the fastest and win. Deal?" Izaya placed his hands on his hips looking unimpressed, looking down on the boy who remained on the floor, glaring up at him and making more challenges when the outcome would remain the same, "Fine, you have yourself a deal. Mairu, Kururi, help us bring all the bags inside." Mairu and Kururi grumbled about it, but complied, not like they had anything better to do anyways. Finishing unloading the car only took a couple of minutes, splitting the bags evenly between the two boys only took another minute or two. The two stood on opposite sides of the table and prepared to start their competition, waiting for Mairu and Kururi to say 'start,' which they took their sweet time doing. But once they did say start, all hell was unleashed. Plastic store bags were tossed every which way, cans were being slammed into cabinets, refrigerated items were being shoved into the refrigerator at record speed, decorations were being tossed haphazardly onto the table, and people were tripping every five god damn seconds… Utter chaos. That's all you can really do to describe such a thing.

"I win!" The two shouted at the exact same second, at the exact same nano-second even, they were in perfect _sync. _The twins shared a nervous look that screamed, _shit-what-do-we-do-now-who-won?!_ When Masaomi and Izaya looked at them expectantly, they made a mad dash for the door, not wanting to be under the pressure of deciding who won and lost since they'd suffer consequences no matter who they chose afterwards, no doubt. It was the utter agonizing truth. Unfortunately, Mairu was caught and if Kururi ran off, it'd be utter betrayal that wouldn't end well for either of them. Thus, Kururi frantically searched around and soon, much to her relief, an idea popped into mind. She quickly grabbed two plastic bags and stuffed random objects into both without allowing Izaya or Masaomi to notice then shouted – or more like quietly shouted, "You two lie, there are still one bag for each of you to unload. Whoever empties this first, wins." Mairu forgotten, the two bags were placed neatly in front of the two competing males who were just itching to start and win, "Start!" Mairu shouted and dragged her sister away while the two monsters of the house were busy. When the two finished and shouted, "I win," at the same time once again, Mairu and Kururi were already long gone and hiding in the safety of the attic that the two of them didn't even know existed until exactly fifteen seconds ago. Did that stop them from running around, looking for the two females in order to declare a winner?

Hell no.

Those two were literally monsters seeking the pleasure of shouting, "I won," and being declared the winner. The real question should be, will Mairu and Kururi make it out _alive_?

Probably not.

Oh, what is that we hear, I wonder? Sure sounds like the screams of two teenage girls, screaming and running for their lives that seem to be nearing their end. Oh, it's just Mairu and Kururi. Who would've guessed?

"Why is it always us?!"

_DuRaRaRa! !_

Fifteen days later, approximately two weeks, Masaomi, Izaya, Saki, Namie, Mairu, and Kururi were running about, decorating the house in Christmas related items and preparing the food for the Christmas party that was to take place later that day in approximately eight hours . The day before, they had put up the Christmas tree and had placed the ornaments, lights, and shiny thin pieces of string that resembled snow sometimes onto the tree. Now, the tree was standing boldly and proudly in the safety of the corner of the room, by the staircase leading upstairs. As of now, the house looked to be shining in holiday spirit – quite surprising considering the owner of the house who claimed he liked to decorate but never had the chance to in which everyone called bullshit – and even smelled absolutely delicious thanks to Masaomi's cooking – not that he was trying to brag or anything. Namie and Saki had arrived about an hour ago to help Masaomi with the food and all three of them were busy at work in the kitchen, making and baking things that already smelled great. While they cooked, the Orihara siblings would run around the house and decorate, occasionally entering the kitchen to try and taste-test things without permission or force a obnoxiously pink apron on Masaomi that had the words _Kiss the Cook_ sprawled on it – it should be obvious who was trying to get Masaomi to wear that the most.

Once they were done decorating and cooking, they stepped back to admire their work and found that they were quite proud of their accomplishment. As soon as you entered the house, confetti in Christmas colors would be thrown into your face and a little bell that hung directly on top of the door way would shout, _Merry Christmas ya filthy animal!_ – a certain little trinket Mairu and Kururi had made and demanded be used. After that, you'd be blinded by the sheer amount of decorations spread out around the house. On the railing of the staircase, those long green strings of leaves – that absolutely no one in the household could remember the name of – were attached to the wood, the bedroom and other room doors even had small Christmas trinkets on them, although for Izaya, he made sure to put a bell and lock his door just in case someone tried to do the skunk thing again – God forbid he find whoever did it or else they'll regret ever being born, though he already had a pretty good clue who had done it. By the closet where you were to throw your coats in, there was a four-foot Santa Claus who went _ho-ho-ho_ every single time you passed by him and even would trail you with his eyes – when no one was looking, Masaomi and the girls messed with it so that it would also say, _hot damn_ occasionally when someone passed by. Just don't question how, after all, a magician never tells his secrets. Instead of just using the usual dim lighting that was meant for parties, Christmas lights were strewn about and on, illuminating different colors that would flash on and off every few seconds or would do some fancy pattern. Little reindeers were positioned to lead to the main bathroom that no one in the Orihara household really used, only guests or party go-ers. The speakers for the music were covered in Christmas gift wrapping paper with little bows on top, giving it more of a Christmas feel. Outside in the backyard, where most people liked to head out where even more decorations. On the tree where Masaomi and Yatabe had first met were Christmas lights starting from the trunk all the way up to every single branch. The pool that the Orihara family had that was shut off and covered with the cover had a Santa in his sleigh with his reindeers, saying that _ho-ho-ho_ chant over and over again. If one were to look up on the roof, you'd see a Santa with a present sack over his shoulder heading for the chimney. Out of all the decorations in the house – which were too many to name, only a few had been shared – there was _one_ special one that was in only _one specific_ spot. It was mistletoe that Izaya had hidden in the cleverest of spots – at least he thought so. He was planning on leading a certain someone there and stealing a kiss, like the tradition went. Whether or not he would be successful would have to be determined later that night.

Once everyone had arrived, most gawked at the dozens of decorations that had been spread out and even roamed around a bit to admire the different things set up, since this had been the most decorated party Izaya had ever thrown – thanks to Masaomi of course, though no one really knew that except for Izaya and Saki, who were practically there when the blonde demanded what they get for decorations. It was quite difficult to get him to give in to their _no, we can't buy that_ and to respond to his _but why_. Thankfully, they managed to come to equal terms about how they were not getting a snowball machine that would hit random people who passed by, since it was dangerous. Oh, but God knew how badly he wanted it, Izaya was literally tempted to actually give in and buy it for the blonde. Now _that_ was the most difficult time with Masaomi either of them had the _pleasure _of witnessing. Soon though, everyone had started getting drunk off their high horse and were partying like crazy. Oh, and guess what Izaya and Saki learned? Masaomi had sometime gone out with Mairu and Kururi to buy the snowball machine and had set up without anyone noticing. The two of them were the first two victims to get hit and they weren't too happy about that. They got over it soon though, after they got their revenge of course.

As for the costume competition between Masaomi and Izaya, they ended up canceling it since neither of them had time to come up with a good costume or even get to purchasing it – though Saki argued that she already had recommended both of them the _perfect_ outfit, they called bullshit, causing her to laugh. Not even an hour into the party, the alcoholic games came into play. People would play any game they could think of. When beer pong came into play, Izaya went around searching for a certain little blonde he knew, eager to play the game with him. He had found Masaomi hanging around in the tree with Aoba, Neko, and Yatabe which, thankfully for Izaya, wasn't too far from where the ping-pong table was. "Kida-kun, come on down and play beer pong with me!"

"Beer what?" He asked, looking down at Izaya curiously yet fearfully from his spot perched on the branch directly in front of Aoba, on top of Neko, and under Yatabe, "Beer pong, silly. Come on, it'll be fuuuun. The three of them can play too!" Izaya exclaimed, motioning towards Aoba, Neko, and Yatabe. Masaomi tilted his head to the side and furrowed his brows, "What beer pong anyways? How do you play?" Izaya blinked, seemingly caught off guard by the question, "Beer pong is also known as Beirut and is a drinking game. Six or ten cups are placed onto the table in a triangle formation on each side. There are two opposing teams of two or more players who throw a ping-pong ball across the table with the intention of the ball landing inside one of the plastic cups. If you land one of the balls in the cup, the opposing team drinks it and then you put that cup to the side. You keep playing until there are no longer anymore cups. The team that loses all their cups first is the loser. Sound fun?" Masaomi hummed thoughtfully, shrugging, "It…does sound fun, but we're underage. We can't drink yet, you know that, right?"

"More than half of the people here today are underage, but still drink. _You know that, right_?" Masaomi pouted but didn't say anything, not wanting to embarrass himself anymore than he already had, "Come on, if it makes you feel any better, I'll make sure you stay safe and away from any other crazy drunks. I'm an adult, you know? I can protect you from all the bad scary monsters. _Unless_, you're just too _scared_ that you'll _lose_ to _me_ and decided to make excuses about how you're underage and—"

"I'm playing!" Masaomi shouted, quickly climbing down from the tree and stopping directly in front of Izaya with a challenging glare, "Just don't come crying to me when you lose!" Izaya chuckled, returning the challenge, "Likewise. Now, come on!" Izaya grabbed onto the blonde's wrist and started dragging him to the ping-pong table by the pool that was being filled with cups by Saki and Namie who were asked to do so by Izaya before he went off, searching for the blonde. "Ah, Masaomi! You're playing?" Saki asked, smiling at him with one of her many kind smiles, "Yeah, and I'm going to kick Izaya's ass while I do!" Namie snorted, "Good luck with that kid. I'm rooting for you, okay?" Masaomi grinned at Namie, thanking her. "Kida-kun, have you ever drunk before?" Masaomi turned to face Izaya and shook his head, "Nope. This'll be my first time. I've always been busy, so really never had a chance to." Izaya hummed thoughtfully, only nodding in response.

"Okay, so who's playing and who's on whose team?" Saki questioned, getting ready to be the referee of the game like she had done so many times before, "Kida-kun and I are on separate teams. We'll both be partnered with whoever wants to play." Namie stepped up with her hand positioned on her hip with her leg out in a sassy manner, smirking, "I'd like to play. As much as I want to see Kida kick your sorry ass, I'm partnering with you since I want to beat him." She moved to stand beside Izaya, glaring and pushing him away when he tried to bring her into a hug, shouting about how she just secretly loved him or whatever. She seriously wondered if he was drunk already. "I'll be on senpai's team," Aoba said, moving to stand beside Masaomi with his hands tossed casually into his pockets, looking bored but determined to beat Izaya, who wasn't? With that the game begun and each team was doing pretty well, everyone already had their fair share of alcohol. At first, Masaomi _hated_ it. The stinging and burning sensation of when it went down his throat almost caused him to gag, but he had grown used to the horrid taste and was capable of downing it all in one-go. He and Izaya had actually did a quick competition to see who could down it the fastest, which ended up being Izaya's win, he had drunk before though, that was Masaomi's excuse. After the blonde had said this, he realized Izaya's words were starting to have some truth to them. He would use excuses to hide from admitting defeat.

The game was coming to an end, both teams only had _one _single cup left and tension was in the air. By then, they were surrounded by a huge crowd of people who had come to see the game and were rooting for their own sides, everyone equally drunk. It was Izaya and Namie's turn, Izaya was going to toss and everyone was sure it was going to be their win. Of course, Masaomi didn't want that. He wanted so desperately to win so he racked his brain for ways to win and found only _one_ solution that would work. He didn't want to do it – or did he – but he knew it had to be done if he wanted to win. He could tell that Aoba wanted to win badly too by how his hands would clench on the table, practically denting the wood. Moving to the side without anyone really questioning him, he moved to a nearby length that allowed him quick access to Izaya. When Izaya got into position, the blonde didn't move, for fear of alerting the older. When he started to let go of the ball in his hand, Masaomi jumped in for a kiss, successfully shocking Izaya and causing him to move his hand slightly from its designated spot and in result, missing the cup of alcohol just barely, giving Masaomi and Aoba a chance to win. Cat whistles were blown when everyone noticed the two kissing, no one really paying any attention to how it was meant to make Izaya miss, just assuming the blonde was drunk enough to feel like kissing somebody, which happened to them a lot. Before Izaya could reciprocate the kiss, the blonde moved back, and over to his side of the table. He grabbed the ping-pong and threw it, the ball landing in the cup and declaring Masaomi and Aoba the winners. The two high-fived and laughed, almost toppling over as a result.

Once they all left the game to other people to play, Masaomi made his way to the kitchen, but had to get help from Aoba since he was way too drunk to even walk straight. Aoba was also quite drunk, so had difficulty too. Neko and Yatabe – who had only about one cup to drink – set out to helping the two into the kitchen where they were all going to get ice cold water to try and help them come down from their high and hopefully weaken the major headache they were going to get tomorrow from being hangover. Masaomi jumped onto the kitchen counter like he had done so many times before and sipped his water, while chatting drunkenly with the others. No one talked about the kiss that Masaomi and Izaya shared much to his relief, if he was asked though; he planned on blaming it on the alcohol and his desire to win which would hopefully save him from any extra embarrassment or teasing.

The rest of the night went by smoothly, no accidents, but a heck of a lot of drinking. Much too soon for anyone's preference, the party ended and everyone was walking out of the house and to their own homes. Luckily for most, the neighborhood was a nice one and they all didn't live too far away so any possible bad case scenarios shouldn't happen. For those who did live quite far, there were people who weren't drunk and capable of driving. The after mess was going to be left where it was and to be cleaned later, for now, everyone was planning on heading to bed, too damn exhausted and drunk to do anything else.

Masaomi had ended up being convinced to spend the night again by Izaya, mainly since he was too drunk to argue. By then, Mairu and Kururi had already made their way to their room and were snoring their youth away. Masaomi had quite a difficult time getting up the stairs though, the alcohol in his system making him a bit too tipsy. "Damn, are we there yet?" He slurred after almost face planting into another stair for the gazillionth time that night. Izaya – who didn't seem to be too drunk, hell he actually seemed pretty sober – just laughed and continued helping him up the stairs, "We're almost there, relax. I got you, don't worry." Masaomi made some weird sound of confirmation at the back of his throat, not really paying much attention to what Izaya said, too busy trying to stop the room from spinning. When they had arrived in Izaya's room, Masaomi shamelessly took his pants and sweater off, tossing it into some unknown area, before crawling under the blankets and shutting his eyes, earning a good laugh from Izaya who seemed to find everything hilarious. Izaya soon crawled in next to the blonde and cleared his throat, effectively grabbing Masaomi's attention, only bothering to open one eye to see what the hell Izaya wanted this time, "Look above you, Kida-kun." Masaomi did as told, not capable of finding any will in him to argue, when he looked up, he found something green with a red bow attached to the wall directly above them, "What's that?"

"Mistletoe." Izaya responded without missing a beat, lips curving up into a smirk, "You know what that means, right?" Masaomi nodded, "Mhm, 'course I do. But I already gave you a kiss. Le' me sleep now." Izaya rolled his eyes but chuckled, "That was earlier, this now. You don't want to break a tradition, now do you?" Masaomi completely ignored him in favor of dozing off, but Izaya didn't allow him to do as he pleased. Instead, he grabbed the blonde's chin, tilting it just slightly in order to get a good position. Masaomi made a groaning sound from the back of his throat, but couldn't find any strength to fight back, the alcohol and exhaustion finally catching up to him, "Not going to fight back?"

"Shut up and kiss me already."

"With pleasure." Izaya said before connecting their lips in a chaste kiss, keeping it nice and slow. It seemed like an eternity before he pulled away, but wasn't really that long, maybe a few seconds, or even a minute. Izaya hovered directly over the blonde, smirking, looking what Masaomi liked to label, _smug as fuck_. "Goodnight, Masaomi." Masaomi mumbled his own goodnight already dozing off and failing to notice that Izaya had used his first name without any honorifics, instead of using the constant _Kida-kun._

_So help me God, I am never drinking again…_

_DuRaRaRa!_

The following morning after the party was really nothing but everyone trying to get over their hangovers and annoying headaches that seemed to be getting worse rather than better. Everyone just lazed about, doing nothing productive whatsoever. No one brought up anything about the day before or anything from early, early that morning. The day after that was filled with nothing but cleaning and or last minute Christmas gift shopping. Before anyone knew it, Christmas Eve had already rolled in and it was nearing so close to midnight, or in other words Christmas Day. Everyone – by everyone it was really just the Ryugamine and Orihara household – was gathered at the Ryugamine house, since it was decided that Christmas that year would be spent at Mikado's house. Everyone was in the kitchen, baking cookies and building gingerbread houses. Masaomi would sneak big pieces of cookie dough away and move to the living room to snack on it, frustrating Mikado who kept trying to stop the blonde but succeed to no avail and earning laughs and giggles out of the Orihara family. Soon, they all migrated to the living room with cookies and eggnog in hand, each finding their own comfortable spot either on the couch or ground. Someone had put Christmas music on hours previous, thus it was still playing in the background. They all just sat there, listening to the music and chatting about whatever topic came up. As soon as the clock struck midnight, Mairu and Kururi leaped for the Christmas tree that had dozens and dozens of presents surrounding it and began sorting through them, eager to open their own. Izaya managed to throw them away from the tree so he could hand everything out in an orderly fashion, much to Mairu and Kururi's disappointment.

The four of them had gotten dozens of different presents for each other, some of them even got presents for their other friends like Aoba, Neko, Yatabe, Saki, and Namie. Those presents would have to be delivered at a much later date though. Getting presents for Mikado, Mairu, and Kururi were easy as can be for Masaomi, since the three of them had made lists and he knew them quite well. When it came to Izaya, he had a little difficulty trying to decide what the male would want since he was always so secretive and never really spoke about his likes and dislikes. Masaomi had asked the twins, Saki, and Namie but they didn't know as much as him. They had all actually forgot about getting Izaya a gift believe it or not. Thus, they _all_ went on wild goose chases.

It was the day before Christmas Eve when Masaomi found the gift he'd get for Izaya. Two silver rings had called to him from the store window one day when he passed by. It was a strange little shop labeled something like _Shirley's Items of Luck _or something. The manager was a Russian blonde woman with grayish-blue eyes; she had a writing pad around her neck that was labeled _Lost Items_. Apparently, she owned her own little shop and went around asking people if they lost something and if they did in fact lose something, then to write down in her notepad to see if others had found it. It was a strange little concept, but according to her, it worked. The rings that had caught his attention were apparently full of good luck and would bring whoever wears them everlasting luck and a plus is that they didn't break easy, apparently were supposed to last for decades. Basically, they were quite lucky according to Shirley – or Shiri as she preferred to be called. He figured that Izaya needed all the luck he could get and thus bought it for him; he could also recall hearing Izaya talk about how he needed to buy new rings because his currents ones broke after an encounter with Shizuo. When Izaya opened the gift, he grinned, and thanked the blonde, saying something about how these were the ones he'd been wanting, but couldn't afford. Izaya then quickly handed the blonde his gift, which happened to be two silver bracelets that matched the rings. Masaomi had been searching for new bracelets and had even been complaining to Mikado about how he needed money to buy them; apparently Izaya had been listening to their conversation because here they were.

Of course, there were other presents that were opened that day, but it'd take too long to list them all. Besides, who'd want to hear all that? It was getting late – or would you say early – and everyone was tired, except for the Orihara twins of course. They refused to go to bed, wanting to stay up longer to play the new video game they received as a gift. They ended up tuning everyone out and got up to place the new game in, until Izaya spoke up, "If you two don't go to bed, Santa won't come and give you presents." That one sentence was all the two needed to go running up the stairs and into Mikado's parent's rooms to sleep, not wanting to go all the way next door to their own house and even shouting something about how it was like a sleepover.

After cleaning up the trash, Mikado, Masaomi, and Izaya headed up stairs to get some rest too, all equally exhausted. Izaya, as expected, decided all on his own that he would sleep with Masaomi, leaving no room for complaint from the blonde. Once they set foot inside, Izaya hummed and set to work exploring the room, "So this is Masaomi's room, huh?" He asked more himself than the blonde, who finally realized that no honorifics were being used, and questioned, "What happened to calling me _Kida-kun_?"

"I got tired of using those silly honorifics and besides, don't you think it's strange how I kept addressing you by your last name? We know each other really well know, so I thought I should start calling you by your first name and without honorifics. Besides, you always called me _Izaya_ instead of _Orihara_ or even adding a honorific." Masaomi nodded his head in understand, crawling into his bed and lying down. "I guess you have a point. Anyways, what the hell are you doing over there?" Masaomi asked Izaya who was crouched down beside Masaomi's drawers and rummaging through them, before he moved to the bookshelf, then the closet, and anywhere else in the room, "Hm? Oh me? Just looking for your porn magazines."

"My _what_?!"

"Your porn magazines." Izaya repeated without missing a beat, causing the blonde to splutter and shout about how he owned no such thing, "Nonsense, of course you do. You're a teenage boy with regular hormones that must be satisfied somehow, correct?" Izaya stood up and walked over to the blonde much like a predator would its prey, crawling onto the bed to hover directly over the blonde, "Or do you just satisfy yourself with your fantasies of those you know? Like, me, perhaps." The blonde flushed slightly, but shook his head, "Ew, no. Especially ew no to you. Now would you move out of my personal space, Izaya? I actually kind of want to sleep you know?" Blinking in surprise before laughing, Izaya complied with the blonde's wishes, moving to sit beside the blonde on the bed instead of hovering directly above him. "Yes, your high and mightiness."

Rolling his eyes, the blonde turned onto his side and began to doze off, "Shut up and get into bed."

"Someone's impatient."

Masaomi groaned in annoyance and disgust. _This may be a long night._

_DuRaRaRa! !_

It had to be about three in the morning when Masaomi woke up to rustling beside him, he turned onto his side, cracking his eyes open to the slightest inch to see just what the hell Izaya was doing that caused him to wake up, "What are you doing, Izaya…?" Upon hearing the blonde address him, he turned to make eye contact and respond before turning his attention back to whatever it was he was working on, "Ah, I apologize. I didn't mean to wake you. Anyways, to answer your question, I'm playing Santa for Mairu and Kururi like I do every year." The blonde's eyes widened a fraction, but Izaya just ignored the surprised expression, "You do this for them every year?" Simply nodding in confirmation, Izaya slowly and neatly wrote a message to attach to Mairu and Kururi's stocking that Izaya had grabbed and hid before he had come over yesterday. _You forgot your stocking next door so I went ahead and brought them over for you. Merry Christmas and see you next year, sincerely Santa Claus, _it said in fancy writing.

"Do you need any help?" The blonde offered his assistance, observing Izaya from his rather comfortable spot atop the bed, rubbing gently at his eyes, "No, but thank you. Go ahead and go back to sleep. I got this all under control. Don't worry; I'll join you again in a few minutes. Until then, try not to miss me too much." Izaya winked playfully, earning a scoff from the blonde who turned back around to face the wall, muttering to himself, "As if." Chuckling, Izaya stood up and grabbed the stocking, then tiptoed out and to the room where Mairu and Kururi were sleeping, prepared to deliver the gifts as the legendary Santa Claus.

Quietly, Izaya had slipped into Mr. and Mrs. Ryugamine's room where Mairu and Kururi had decided to sleep for the night. He quickly, yet quietly and stealthily made his way to the bed, there he hung the stockings on the king sized bed frame, making sure to put it in a position that as soon as they woke up, they saw it in front of them. Soon, that was taken care of and he started leaving, but he almost tripped over one of their presents that they left near the foot of the bed. He let out a rather loud curse that stirred the two sleeping girls. In alarm, Izaya dashed to the ground and rolled under the bed – it was a tight fit, but he'd survive. "Mm, Kuru-nee? What was that?"

"…Santa…maybe." Kururi soon replied, still in a daze of sleep, trying to quickly fall back asleep, thinking it to be too early to be awake, even if she was excited to see what Santa brought her. "Sleep though….Or else Santa won't leave presents…That's what…Iza-nii always said…" She trailed off, already losing consciousness once again, not even bothering to wait for Mairu's response, which followed soon after, "Mm, you're right. G'night Kuru-nee…"

After waiting a few more minutes and listening to the pattern of their breathing, Izaya sighed in relief and crawled out from under the bed, quickly making his way to the door, but this time keeping a close look out on the floor, not wanting to stir the two girls from their slumber again. Shutting the door quietly behind him, he made his way back to Masaomi's room. By the time he returned to the room again, the blonde was already fast asleep. Masaomi was too deep in sleep that he didn't even feel the bed dip to match Izaya's weight, or when Izaya threw his arm around the blonde's waist to bring him in close and place a kiss on the back of blonde locks. If he had been awake, he would have pushed the other away no doubt. At least, that's what Masaomi would like to think he would do.

_Next year, I'm sliding knock out medicine into their cups. They almost caught me that time. Way too close for comfort. It's moments like these when I hate our genes that make us light sleepers…_

_DuRaRaRa! !_

Six days after Christmas Day turned out to be New Years Eve, much to everyone's sudden surprise, no one quite believing that the year was ending already. Much like they had done on the weekend before Christmas, Izaya threw a party. Although, this party was not just for everyone, he didn't invite random people from the school like usual. No, in order to come to this party, you had to have a special invitation. The reason behind why he only invites certain people to his New Year party is because of the tradition they have. At midnight, everyone has to kiss somebody, that way they can start the New Year with a kiss. Considering Izaya's popularity with both genders, more so female, dozens upon dozens of people would ask him to be their kiss partner, and he honestly didn't want to go through countless amounts of rejections, especially since he already knew who he wanted to kiss this New Year. Thus he decided to only invite certain people. Every year, he'd invite those he considered…friends you could say. But they weren't friends. He has no need for them. Everyone was merely a pawn to him. So, you could say those that he invites are more of the important pawns. Yes, that's it. Those others are ones that he doesn't invite he could replace in the snap of a finger. Not to say he couldn't replace the ones that he did in fact invite.

Those invited were the Ryugamine household, – which meant Masaomi and Mikado, as they were always invited to Izaya's events—Namie and Saki, Aoba, Yatabe, and Neko – since he knew that Masaomi would want them around – Kadota and his little crew, – Kadota's crew is Erika, Walker, and Saburo. Everyone called them a crew because those four were always together, no matter what – Celty, Shinra and his parents, Shizuo, – just to spite him first thing the New Year – and a few others. Not to mention the people that were invited through his guests.

The party was scheduled to begin at eight post meridiem – which meant after midday in Latin – and that was when everyone started arriving, on the dot. It wasn't like most of their crazy drunk parties, this one was more reserved and people only drank so much, saving the getting drunk part for as soon as the New Year properly began. Besides, no one wanted to kiss anyone who tasted of alcohol. While they waited, everyone helped themselves to the food spread out – which happened to be leftovers from the Christmas party believe it or not – and played some games, whether it be card games like poker or pool table.

An hour away from the New Year, Izaya made his way to Saki and Namie – the two females he trusted the most out of everyone present at the party – who were happily chatting away at the kitchen table, "Saki, Namie, I'd like to talk to you two, if you wouldn't mind." Izaya calmly said, taking a seat directly in front of Namie and beside Saki, looking at them expectantly, "Ugh, not like we have a choice, now do we you bastard?" Namie complained, looking anything but the kind pleasant lady she looked when around Seiji, meanwhile Saki just smiled and nodded, like she normally would when around Izaya or anyone for that matter. "Alright, what do you need to talk to us about, Izaya?"

"You two both know that I trust you most out of everyone, right?" He asked absentmindedly, fiddling with the salt shaker in his hand, waiting for Namie and or Saki to respond, "You only trust us the most because you supposedly know Saki and I so well, we're your precious pawns that you know won't go against you or something, right?" Namie asked, frowning, while glancing towards the living room, no doubt trying to keep an eye out for Seiji, who she invited to tag along with her to the party. She didn't want to keep her eyes off him for more than a second since Seiji had brought that damn Harima Mika along, "Pretty much, yes. I know you two like the back of my hand. I know how you'll react every second of the day. But anyways, back to the matter at hand. I need you help—" Before Izaya could finish, Namie choked on her water, spitting it all out, much to Izaya's relief not on him. "Wait, _you_ need _our help_?! Are you trying to make some twisted joke?!"

"Namie, let's hear Izaya out first. Sure, it's…strange that he's coming to us for help, but let's just wait and see before we jump to conclusions." Namie just scoffed, but listened to what Saki said, "Thank you, Saki. Anyways, I need your help, like previously stated. I want to kiss Masaomi at midnight, and I need you to help me make it happen." Cocking an eyebrow, Namie rested her chin on her palm, looking bored beyond words, "I thought it'd be something related to that kid. Why do you need our help? I thought you said you have him wrapped snugly around your finger. If that's the case, you shouldn't need us to help you with anything." Saki remained quiet, staring down at her lap, looking thoughtful, but no longer smiling.

"That is true; I _do_ have him wrapped snugly around my finger, as you put it. I mean, have you _seen_ how infatuated he is with me? It's honestly laughable, especially since it's only been three months. But Masaomi isn't like everyone else; no he's a special case. A very special case. You see, he's stubborn. Not that I don't love that about him, because I do. It adds more fuel to the fire that is my amusement. He's naïve, but tries to act tough. He puts on a false show of stupidity, but is actually rather smart and capable. Not just smart in academics, but in a…how should I put this?"

"In an Orihara Izaya way?" Namie added, looking not anymore interested in this conversation that she had been ages ago.

"So to speak, yes. He's observant and knows just what everyone needs to get their spirits up. With his jokester personality and serious moments, he's capable of becoming friends with just about anyone. He doesn't use that to his advantage since he's, like I said, too naïve. I'm sure with my teaching, he could. He's infatuated with me, but he doesn't know it yet. If he does, he's trying to hide it from both himself and everyone else. And do you know what makes him so special? Why I'm interested in him so? He goes beyond my expectations. He acts off of my calculations. It's not the first time something like this has happened. It's happened with a few others once or twice, but Masaomi. It's almost a regular thing with him. One moment I understand him so completely, the next, I don't have a clue to what he's thinking and that excites me. I want to crawl into his brain and break him into a million little tiny pieces. That is why I continue to play my act with him." Izaya finished right there, knowing that Saki and Namie – mainly Namie – didn't care too much for what he had to say about the blonde, "Right, but I still don't see how you need our help to get him to be your New Year first kiss."

"Oh, Namie, Namie, Namie. You're smart, and then you're unnecessarily dumb." Namie made a sort of growling sound, sending hateful daggers at Izaya with her eyes, "I told you, he's stubborn and is concealing his feelings. Thus, if I merely ask him, he'd no doubt reject me and hurl in disgust with the matter of kissing me." Namie furrowed her brows in confusion, keeping an eye on the clock. Her goal was to be Seiji's first kiss of the year, thus she wanted to be there with him when the clock struck twelve. "Haven't you two kissed dozens of times already though?"

"Yes, we have. What a memory you have!" Izaya mock complimented, earning an ugly scowl from Namie, "Now, Namie if you keep making that face, soon your face will get stuck like that and your precious Seiji will no longer love you—Oh wait. I forgot. He doesn't, does he? At least not the type of love that you want. Pity."

"Why you little—"

"Enough you guys. Let's just focus on helping Izaya, the faster we help him, the faster he'll go away. Isn't that what you want, Namie?" Saki intervened before either could do anything more, having had enough of their bickering and current conversation about Masaomi, since, she'd never tell Izaya, but she hated this. She hated tricking Masaomi like this. She had grown feelings for the blonde against her will and tricking him pained her. She wished she could stop, but she couldn't. Especially since Masaomi had been nothing but kind to her since they met, even saving her from the bullies on his first day at Raira. She could never go against Izaya, no matter how much she tried. Maybe that's why she felt this way about the blonde. He was capable of going against Izaya whenever he wanted to. He wasn't too afraid to fight for what he believed was right, even if he was on his own. She admired him honestly.

"I guess you're right…How the hell are we even supposed to help you though?" Namie question, bringing her temper back into check and crossing her arms across her busty chest, looking irritated but reserved, "Well, I was thinking about you two giving me a few pointers possibly? Or even talking to him and trying to convince him? Up to you two really." Namie tapped her slim pale fingers against her arm, humming as she thought, "Since he's stubborn, I was thinking maybe approaching him and asking him to be your partner just a few minutes before midnight, five minutes maybe? That way, by then everyone will have found a partner and he can't say no to you. But if he does say no, just force him into the kiss or something, I don't know."

"…I suppose that works. Pretty much what I had come up with though."

"Then why the hell did you—"

"What do you think, Saki?" Izaya asked the once again quiet female, completely ignoring Namie's sudden outburst, obviously offending her. "Um, I was thinking the same thing as Namie and you. It seems to be the best option and is what I would have gone with." The way Izaya stared at her made Saki think that he already knew everything she was thinking, which was why she tried to avoid eye contact with him, not that he seemed to care much. "Alright, I'll go with that then. Thank you two for your time." Izaya then stood up and gave them a dramatic bow before waltzing off, no doubt in search of the blonde they had been talking about mere moments ago.

"…Saki, I don't understand how you can obey him so willingly. That guy irks me. How did someone as kind-hearted as you get mixed up with him anyways? That aside, about our conversation from earlier, if that's how you really feel. Tell the kid, I'm sure he'd understand and what not. Don't worry about him hating you or any of that stuff, okay? The sooner you come out with the truth about Izaya and his plan, the better. You'd actually be doing the kid a favor." Saki remained silent, taking Namie's words in and considering them, "I still don't understand what's so special about Kida. If anything, I think he's cursed. Catching Izaya's attention like how he did. He came to Ikebukuro too soon. Kida should have waited until next year, when Izaya was gone. Things would have been much simpler and easier on him that way." Saki found herself agreeing with that statement one hundred percent.

_DuRaRaRa! !_

Five minutes until midnight, or in other words, the New Year. Izaya decided it'd be a good idea to set his plan into motion about the whole New Year kiss thing right now, since there were five minutes left until the New Year. Izaya spotted Masaomi on the second floor, looking down at everyone from his spot on the stair case railing with a soda can in hand, looking to be lost in his own thoughts. Quickly, as he was on a time limit, Izaya made his way up the stairs and towards where the blonde stood with his arms crossed and lying on the railing. "Hey Masaomi, what are you doing up here all by yourself?"

Blinking in surprise, the blonde turned to face the older male who decided to lean against the railing with his arms crossed over his chest as he looked at the blonde, small smile on his face, "Oh, hey Izaya. I just decided to get some time to myself before the New Year. I was going to over what happened this year and trying to figure out what my New Year resolution is going to be. What did you come up here for?"

"I was looking for you actually." Izaya replied with a simple response, not even bothering to elaborate why or anything, confusing the blonde, "For me? What for?" Seeming to have something pop into mind, the blonde jolted up and started looking nervous, "I didn't do it I swear! At least not on purpose! It was accidental, honest! I just…Uh, I wasn't expecting it, okay?" Izaya blinked and tilted his head to the side in confusion, furrowing his brows, "What didn't you do? Should I be concerned? Do I even _want_ to know?"

"Wait, so that's not why you're here?"

"No, considering I don't even know what _that_ is." Masaomi released a sigh of relief muttering something along the lines of "Thank God," going back to leaning against the railing, staring down at the crowd of dancing people below, "I was looking for you because I wanted to ask you something." Izaya said, getting back onto topic, not really bothering with figuring out what horrendous crime the blonde had committed this time, considering his reaction, "Ask away."

Glancing at the clock that rest against the wall, Izaya saw that he had three minutes remaining to get this done, thus he decided to keep it short. "I need someone to kiss at midnight. You up to it?" These two sentences of his obviously confused the blonde since he turned and gave Izaya a strange look, "Someone to kiss at midnight…? What for?" Izaya frowned, forgetting that the blonde knew absolutely nothing about the tradition they had here. "Every New Year, it is our tradition to kiss someone at midnight, to celebrate the New Year."

"Oh, that makes sense, I guess. My question is why me? I'm sure there's dozens of people down there who'd love to kiss you." This is where is Izaya started advancing closer to the blonde, leaning in close just as the clock changed to twelve fifty-nine, meaning they had one more minute until New Year, "Because I want to kiss you, not any of them. It's not like you have a partner to kiss anyways. Plus, we've kissed so many times before."

"I suppose you're right. If that's the case, guess I have no choice, huh?" Izaya nodded, just as the countdown to New Year started. Ten…Nine…Eight… Izaya started leaning in, eyes slowly drooping closed as the space between their lips shrunk every passing second. Five…Four…Three… By now, Izaya had his eyes shut and was swooping in, only half-listening to the countdown behind him as he focused on connecting their lips. Two…One…Happy New Year! Just as that was shouted, Izaya went in to connect their lips, only to be met with air. As he opened his eyes, he felt a pair of lips on his cheek and someone snickering, "There's your kiss, Izaya. Happy New Year!" With that, Masaomi went racing down the stairs and jumping onto Mikado's back, shouting at the top of his lungs, almost sending Mikado toppling to the floor.

Izaya ghosted his fingers over the spot on his cheek where Masaomi's lips were moments ago, lips curling up into a smirk, "Nice move, Masaomi, nice move. You sure took me by surprise there. Seems I need to be more wary of you." Izaya went into a maniacal chuckle from where he was, smirking with insanity shining in his eyes. "Oh, how I love humans."

* * *

**Just in case no one understood what clothes I was talking about during their shopping trip, Izaya and Masaomi are wearing the outfit they wore for episode 12.5 of season 1 and Saki is wearing what we normally see her in with I think one change? It may not all be accurate since I did this based off of memory. Oh, and three kisses (technically), does that make up for my lateness and as a Christmas and New Years gift - albeit late - to you guys? Sure hope so. **

**To the guest reviewer tuna: Thank you! I honestly forgot about that little detail until you reminded me and I went back and checked! I hope I cleared that up in today's chapter. Let me know if it made more sense or not. **

**Let me know your thoughts on today's chapter in a review below! c: **


	22. Chapter 22

**Aha, I warned you all, didn't I? The reason it took so long this time was due to writer's block, unfortunately. Thankfully, I have an idea of what I want to happen next, but I'm still a bit stuck on the plot therefore any ideas you may have are _more_ than welcomed. Seriously, help me. . . Two things, DRRR! finally came back, yeeeees! Who else was excited for that? Second, can you believe this story is going to be a year old next month? I can't honestly, like dang. Anyways, read on and forgive how terrible this chapter may sound and be. Don't forget to leave a review telling me your thoughts!**

**Disclaimer: Durarara! belongs to Ryohgo Narita, anything else mentioned belongs to each respective owner.**

* * *

Chapter 22:

Plan Set Into Motion!

"Giving up cats for New Years? I give it a week."

"Hey!"

Loud boisterous laughter erupted as soon as those words were uttered, from everyone in fact, all except for a certain male known as Neko that is, the source of the teasing and laughter. A few days after the New Year celebration and already, students were forced to return to the hell-hole called school, much to _everyone'_s dissatisfaction, including the staff. Lunch period had arrived rapidly and in this time, the main groups that hung around the leaders of both the Yellow Scarves and Blue Squares had migrated to the benches outside, deciding to enjoy their free time in the nice weather. These two groups had gotten along swimmingly since the very beginning, thus they would hang out with each other quite often, today therefore happened to be the same as any other day. The conversation topic for the day, or more so minute considering how these teenagers managed to go through a minimum of five topics in just a few minutes, was what everyone's New Year Resolutions were. Neko's turn to share soon appeared and he had boasted about how he was going to relinquish his obsession with cats, knowing Neko for as long as he had, Aoba made that snide remark that had Neko fuming and everyone else in giggles, "What makes you think I can't give up my obsession with cats for the New Year, Aoba?"

"Well, to put it simply, considering how long I have known you – which, just to make it clear to everyone and possibly remind you, since kindergarten – and how many times you have claimed to do the exact same thing every New Year for quite some time now, I sincerely and highly doubt that you will be capable of pulling off such a feat as that." Aoba responded without even having to think twice about his reasoning, every word he spoke was all the truth, Neko knew that, hence he flushed in embarrassment, angry frown rapidly transforming into a pout, "I didn't forget! I could never forget that day! I mean, do you remember _how_ we met?"

"Of course I do. I, unlike most, have a great memory." A grin crawled its way up onto Aoba's lips at the mere memory of what happened that day, when Aoba and Neko had met each other for the first time. It was a rather… odd meeting. One that gave Aoba plenty of blackmail material and Neko nightmares to this day. "Also, who could forget such a meeting? Our meeting is a story for another time though, don't you agree?"

"R-Right, let's not dwell on the past for too long, Aoba. Anyways," Neko paused to clear his throat and gather his belongings after that sudden rush of fear and dread, wanting so desperately to change the topic as soon as he possibly could, "And? What if I do succeed in giving it up?" Aoba's smug smile turned into one that practically screamed a challenge meant for Neko and Neko only, putting Neko's nerves on high-alert. After all, he knew what Aoba's challenges consisted of, they weren't best-friends for no reason, "If you do happen to succeed, write me off as surprised and impressed, why don't you? I mean, if you do, it'd be quite surprising. I would honestly be proud of you. Growing up and completing such a task. Think you can do it?"

"Just you watch, Aoba! I'll prove you wrong and have that smug smile turning into one of amazement! And maybe you will _finally_ respect me!" With new found determination, Neko greedily and hungrily ate his lunch, brows furrowed to show his determination, earning a few more laughs out of the others who had been doing nothing but silently listen to the two bicker back and forth, not that Neko really paid them any heed; way too busy attempting to form up some sort of grand plan that would help him win this bet. Meanwhile, Aoba turned towards Masaomi who had just finished getting over his own laughs after watching the whole ordeal, with a mischievous smirk present on his face; Masaomi couldn't help but notice the similarity between Aoba and Izaya during that moment, but refrained from commenting on it, knowing just how much Aoba _loathed_ being compared to the elder, "Hey, senpai. How about you and I place our bets on how long Neko will last?"

"Place our bets…?" Masaomi curiously asked, attention piqued instantaneously as he turned to face the shorter male in order to have a proper conversation, brow raised high as he munched on a chip, "Yup, we make an estimation on how long Neko will last, then bet our money on it! You _do_ know how bets work, _right_?" Aoba teased the blonde, snickering at said blonde's reaction – which was a choke on his chip mind you, "Of course I know how bets work! I wasn't born yesterday you know! You have yourself a deal! You make your bet first! Ladies go first after all…"

Aoba's eyes narrowed into a glare, not exactly necessarily liking the smugness on the blonde's face after his last comment, "If it's ladies going first, then shouldn't you go?"

"Are you guys serious right now—" Neko began to say, but was promptly ignored and cut off by both Masaomi and Aoba, whether or not they heard Neko really didn't matter, since if they had, they no doubt probably still would have ignored him anyways.

"Are you trying to imply that you think I'm gorgeous, much like a lady? Why, Aoba, I didn't know you thought like that! How sweet of you!" Masaomi teased, letting a triumphant grin spread on his face when Aoba choked on air and gave the blonde a challenging glare, "Oh no, you're quite mistaken, senpai. You see, I did anything _but _imply that you were as gorgeous as a lady. I mean, have you looked in the mirror recently? Why would I lie to you like that? Friends don't lie to friends after all. Besides, why would I want to build your ego up any?" Aoba's smirk increased in size once he took sight of the twitch of the blonde's eye, relishing in the fact that he was annoying the blonde and what looked to be like winning this argument.

"Friends don't lie to friends, indeed. But I've noticed that you lie to yourself as a result. You know, that isn't a good thing, Aoba. It clouds your thinking, hence you can't see or tell how smoking hot I am. You need to use your brain more. Oh wait, I forgot. You don't have a brain, now do you?" Much like what happened with Aoba previously, Masaomi's own smirk increased in size as Aoba's eye twitched. You could practically _feel_ the challenging tension going on between the two of them. It was so thick, you could probably cut it with a _butter knife_ and those things are _useless_. The mere size of the tension had everyone around getting nervous, but not at the same time. After all, they were beginning to grow accustomed to the two trashing each other all the time. It wasn't that Aoba and Masaomi hated each other, it was more of a friendly trashing in a way. As much as everyone was used to it, they still tried to end it before it could prolong into some long debate, hence the reason why Yatabe cleared his throat and spoke up, "Aoba, Masaomi, if you two want to go through with this bet, you might want to start before the bell rings..."

"Oh, that's right. Thanks Yatabe! Anyways Aoba, what's the minimum amount we can pay? I'm low on cash you know."

"Hmm, not too much. I'm quite a bit low as well. Maybe about enough to purchase a meal at Russia Sushi for three. How does that sound?" Little did Masaomi know, Aoba was planning on using this money he would win to buy some traps to set on his older brother, Ran Izumii, who just recently got out of prison – much to Aoba's dissatisfaction. Aoba did not exactly want to see his brother after all, considering how iffy their relationship was. If asked, Aoba would say that Izumii didn't want to see him either. Besides using the traps on Izumii, Aoba would like to use some of the traps on Orihara Izaya. If everything worked out at least, "Sounds good to me, now place your bet!"

"Am I really only worth _that_ much? Would you consider that a lot or—" Once again, Neko was promptly ignored _and_ interrupted, much to the poor cat obsessed male's disappointment and slight frustration.

"Like I had said earlier, I give it a _week_. _This_ up-coming Monday I bet my money that Neko will give in to the temptation and continue with his obsession!" Aoba proudly and quite confidently stated – if you were to ask Masaomi, he'd have to say this was the most confident that he had ever seen Aoba. It was honestly quite frightening, Masaomi wholeheartedly feared for his wallet.

"Aoba—"

"Fine! I give it _four _days! I bet Neko will crack by _this_ Friday!" Masaomi shouted, looking as proud and confident as ever, although with Aoba's unsettling grin, it proved to be quite difficult to keep that confidence up, "Deal."

"Okay, now I feel insulted!" Neko puffed out his cheeks in annoyance, crossing his arms over his chest in agitation, finally catching Aoba and Masaomi's attention, only earning a sheepish grin and a laugh from both of them as an _apology, _if you could even label it as such. Flicking his gaze from one to the other repeatedly for a few seconds, he made as serious a face as he possibly could while showing a cat-like smile, "Whoever wins is splitting their reward with me, right?"

"Not a chance." Both Masaomi and Aoba simultaneously responded without missing a heartbeat or even needing a second to think about their response. This, of course, earned another frown from Neko whom _hmph_-ed and turned away, indulging himself in conversation elsewhere, muttering something about how he would prove them wrong and whatnot, successfully earning another laugh from Aoba and Masaomi, who wholeheartedly expected a response of that sorts.

_DuRaRaRa!_

Friday – the day that Masaomi had gambled with Aoba that Neko would give in to the temptation – had arrived, much quicker than anyone had originally expected it to. The school day also happened to be coming to an end rapidly; the boys were in their last period of the day already when it seemed as though mere seconds ago, they all had just arrived on campus, ready to start their day in hell. Aoba and Masaomi were comfortably seated at a table pushed to one corner of the room near the window looking out into the parking-lot, each male sitting on one side of Neko so that they were sandwiching him, as they had been doing all week, just waiting to see if he would crack yet or not. As the seconds ticked by on the clock, Masaomi began to perspire in nervousness. The anxiety of whether or not Neko would crack that day was starting to finally get to him; he didn't—no, more like _couldn't_ lose this bet. His pride would _not_ allow him to. Although, as the seconds continued to fly by and Neko remained seated there, unfazed as he worked on his homework, Masaomi began getting this sense that Aoba would win this bet. Aoba had seemed to pick up on the blonde's anxiousness sometime for he had made eye-contact with the blonde and smirked, giving the blonde a wink before turning his attention back down to his homework.

Not wanting to dwell on his anxiousness any longer, Masaomi followed Aoba's lead and turned his attention back down to his mathematics homework, trying to solve something about the circumference of a circle and something about angles or whatever, but, as expected, he could not for the life of him concentrate on the numbers or any of the formulas needed to solve the problem. Letting his mechanical pencil drop from his hand onto the wooden table below, he lifted his hands to ruffle through his hair, pulling at the bleached locks in frustration, before dropping his hands and heaving out a sigh. Collapsing on top of the table, he crossed his arms beneath his chin, using them as a sort of pillow to get more comfortable. After a second or three, the buzzing from his phone in his back pocket had caught his attention and had him lazily reaching behind to pull the device out of the compartments of his pocket; curious to see what that buzz from earlier had been all about.

The buzz from earlier turned out be an alert, notifying him that he had received a text message from none other than – who would have guessed – Izaya, who was seated one table over accompanied by Saki, Namie, and whomever else. The message had read, "What's wrong? You have seemed to be antsy all day today." Masaomi glanced at Izaya for a brief second only to see that Izaya was glancing at him too, before turning back to his Smartphone and quickly tapping away, fingers traveling over the keyboard swiftly, responding to Izaya's message with a, "Don't worry about it. I'm fine."

As expected, Izaya's response came almost instantly, at the speed of light – Masaomi honestly wondered how Izaya responded so fast with so much to say, almost as if he already knew what Masaomi would say, "Is that a lie I sense? Sure seems like one. Who would have thought that my precious Masaomi would start lying to me? I must say, I feel betrayed! Tell me, who influenced you as such? Anyways, all jokes aside because I imagine you would roll your eyes right about now, you do know that you can talk to me about anything, don't you?"

Blowing out a more than frustrated and ticked off breath, Masaomi found himself caving in quicker than he had hoped and would honestly prefer, slowly tapping out his honest response, making sure to avoid Izaya's curious eyes, "Aoba and I… we made a bet about how long we thought Neko could continue giving up his obsession over cats. I had betted that Neko would give in today and Aoba had said on Monday. I've been watching Neko all day and it doesn't seem like he will cave in anytime soon today. To me, it seems like Aoba will win this bet in the end and…Well, I guess you can figure out the rest."

"Well, now I finally know what has been bothering you all day. So, from my understanding, you want to win against…Aoba in this bet, am I right? What would you say if I had said that I may know how to help you win this bet of yours? Would you take my offer? Or reject my offer to help?" Masaomi froze, thumbs hovering over the letters on the keyboard, his thoughts clashing against each other in his head. _Should I seek Izaya's help? Or should I try and figure this out myself? He's smart; he may be capable of helping me. But knowing him, he might try and use this against me somehow in the future…_ "Why are you trying to help me? What does it matter to you?" He responded instead of giving his straight-out answer of _"Yes, help me."_ or _"No, don't help me."_

"Isn't it simple? I'm trying to help you because I want to help you. There's nothing more to it. Now, do you want my help or not?"

_That's not exactly reassuring, but…Ahh, screw it! _"Fine, help me. What do I do?" Masaomi glanced over at Izaya just as he had hit send and Izaya started reading it over; a shiver ran down his spine when he saw the smirk that graced Izaya's lips, unease flowing through the blonde instantly, making him start to reconsider his choices up until now, "Knew you would cave in and ask for my help! Okay, let's see what we can do! Just sit tight and wait for my signal!" Masaomi didn't even get the chance to respond or ask what he meant by _sit tight and wait for my signal_, for before he could so much as blink, Izaya cleared his throat, effectively catching everyone's attention – the room had been rather quiet before hand, so of course everyone's attention was piqued so easily. Speaking louder than usual, Izaya turned towards Saki, who already knew what was going on, since Izaya had slid his screen into Saki's line of vision, allowing her to read through their messages, "Hey Saki, do you happen to know anyone who may want to take a _cat_ off my hands? You see, Mairu and Kururi found one in the yard this morning and you know us, we can't take care of an animal. I didn't want to take it to a shelter, since it is common knowledge that they just kill the animals there. Thus, I was looking for someone to give it to. Any ideas?"

"I don't really know anyone. I would normally offer to take it in, but the granny that owns my apartment building doesn't allow animals, so I can't. Sorry about that, Izaya." Furrowing his brows in confusion, Masaomi found himself wondering just what on God's green Earth Izaya was doing. Wasn't Izaya supposed to be helping? _Doesn't he know that I don't have much longer until the day ends? If Neko doesn't give in to his temptation and go back to being obsessed with cats then—Wait a sec. Cats?_ That's when it all clicked. Izaya was talking about cats in a life-or-death situation to get Neko to crack and give in. The whole shelter talk would give Neko a good push too, since Neko had just recently been talking about how giving up cats to shelters was a terrible idea, since the shelters did in fact kill the animals. "No, it's fine. Just help me figure out someone who'd willingly take it in. If not, we'll have to take it to the shelter. Say, Namie? Do you know anyone by any chance? Or would you be willing to take it in? I'm sure if you did take in an animal, it'd make you a much brighter and positive person. Who knows? Maybe even your precious Seiji will notice you more."

"Sure, I'll take it in as long as you don't mind me turning it into dinner and giving me the chance to punch your face in." Namie had lazily responded, flipping through her textbook, having only glanced at the older and the screen that was slid into her peripheral vision, not even bothering to read it. Heck, she barely even listened to what Izaya had said, not wanting to deal with the male right now. Hence she didn't respond to Seiji's name. "…I personally think sending it the shelter would be far wiser than giving it to you. My mistake for asking you." Merely shrugging, she turned her full attention back to her textbook, making not so secret glances towards Seiji and loathing glares towards Mika. Talk about a terrible ninja.

"Thinking on it, I don't think any of our friends would take in a cat, Izaya. After all, not many like cats. I would think taking it to a shelter would be your best bet." Humming thoughtfully, Izaya sent a quick unnoticeable glance towards Neko who was starting to noticeably perspire and twitch, much to Izaya's pleasure, "For once, I'm not too sure. If I cannot end up finding anyone by the end of _today_, I'll take it to the shelter or put it down myself, I've been wanting to try some new skinning techniques anyways. It really is unfortunate though, that cat is only so young. If I had to make a guess, about seven or so months old at most."

"That poor thing…"

By now, several hushed whispers were being spread throughout the classroom, most involving content about how they were all curious as to why Neko wasn't stepping up to take in the cat yet. _Did he not hear? Is he sick? Did he fall asleep? _Questions such as these and many more went running out of people's mouths, putting Neko on edge more and more. Unbeknownst to most, Neko was struggling to not say anything about the cat or give in to the temptation. Not just because of the bet going on between Aoba and Masaomi, but because he sincerely and desperately wanted to prove to the two and everyone else that he could whatever he put his mind to, contrary to what most thought.

Allowing a frown to form on his lips, Izaya narrowed his eyes, realizing that he would need to give a little bit more effort if he wanted Neko to break; the male's resolve was stronger than he had originally anticipated. Turning so that he was facing the table where Neko sat, he spoke up, acting oblivious to the male's inner struggle, "Say, Neko. Aren't you a big fan of cats? If I do remember correctly, you were talking about how cats were the greatest creatures known to man and how they should not be sent to shelters just before break, were you not? Would you be willing to take it in? You do love cats right? More than anything else in the whole world, right?"

All eyes turned towards Neko, who remained silent with his eyes on his paper, thinking things over. _It wouldn't hurt to say yes, would it? I would be doing a favor is all, not giving in to the temptation, right? I could still prove Aoba and Kida wrong, right? Right?! _"I—" Before the determined male could say anything, the bell rung startling everyone, especially Neko. "Sorry, I got to go, bye!" With that said, Neko rapidly tossed his things in his bag and went rushing out of the classroom, surprising everyone who had been expecting him to give in and agree to take the cat. To say everyone was confused was an understatement. Shrugging it off after awhile, everyone packed their bags and starting migrating home, everyone ready to start the weekend, "Hey, Aoba?"

"What is it, senpai?"

"Is it just me, or do you feel kind of sympathetic for Neko? He seems to be really trying to not give in to the temptation, doesn't he?" Aoba paused in his steps and turned towards the blonde after those two sentences were spoken, looking thoughtful, "He does, doesn't he? Neko has always been one determined to prove himself. I guess that is why you could say I'm eager to see how long he holds up without giving in to the temptation. However long he does manage, I'll congratulate him for getting so far. That should encourage him to continue trying his best and being the Neko that we all are fond of."

After that was said and done, Aoba bid Masaomi goodbye and left in search of Neko, someone needed to keep an eye on the male after all, to make sure he didn't secretly give in to the temptation without one of them there. Seeing Aoba leave, Masaomi allowed a small smile to grace his lips, for after what Aoba had said to him about Neko, he found that he actually wouldn't mind losing this bet. After all, it seemed as though Aoba was merely trying to give Neko more confidence and encouragement – besides the fact that he was trying to earn some money. Masaomi didn't mind losing to people like that. Therefore, he wouldn't try to win this one anymore, he'll let Aoba win.

"Guess you'll be losing your money if that's what you're planning." Jolting in surprise, Masaomi turned to see Izaya standing before him, small smirk on his face, obviously relishing the fact that he startled the blonde, "Wha—How did you—Can you read minds or something?!" Izaya gave a laugh, shaking his heads and leaning a bit to be eye-to-eye with the blonde, smirk increasing in size, "No, but you're just so easy to read. Glad to know that I was right though."

"Bastard…"

"How rude, after I tried so hard to help you win too…"

_DuRaRaRa!_

Ever since he moved back to Ikebukuro some months ago, there was _one_ thing he hated to extremes unimaginable to most. That one thing would be how almost every Saturday and or Saturday; he would get woken up at ungodly hours. It did nothing to help his frustration when he went to bed extremely late the previous day. Albeit, it may as well be his own damn fault for going to bed so late, but it's not like he could help it. He had just been so engrossed with his video gaming that he had lost all track of time completely. Gamer struggles, you know? Either way, the reason this hatred of his was brought to your attention today was because this was happening to him this very second _again _and he _hated _it. No, more like _loathed _it. Do you have _any_ idea how many times his phone already rang? _Any?_ _Highly_ doubt it.

Groaning incoherent curses of all kinds that would have Satan aghast, the bleached blonde raised his hand and directed it by memory to the nightstand beside his bed in order to grab his phone that wouldn't shut up, just ringing and ringing so impossibly annoyingly – if he had been counting all the calls, this would be like the seventh or eighth one. Answering the call without even bothering to check who the damned caller was he replied with a rather grumpy, "What the hell do you _want_?"

"My, someone is grouchy today. Wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?"

"Ugh, it's you. I should have known better and expected that. It's always _you_ who calls me in the mornings; guess you haven't learned your lesson yet. So tell me, Izaya. What are you calling me so early in the morning for _this_ time?" Masaomi impatiently asked, more than ticked off with the male and doing nothing to hide said annoyance from Izaya. Sometimes, the blonde would swear that Izaya just adored calling him so early in the morning just to spite him. There was this one time some time ago where Izaya had called him at _four_ in the morning just to say _hi_. Oh, can you _imagine_ how pissed Masaomi was after _that_? He also happened to have gone to bed at _two_ in the morning the day before because of _Izaya_ who had bombarded his phone with annoying text messages. Do you know what that meant? Masaomi was running on _two_ hours of sleep _all_ day. Yeah, that probably wasn't a very good day for anyone. Especially Izaya who Masaomi pissed off the most, causing him to vow to never wake the blonde up so early again, but oh would you look? Here Izaya is, doing it all again.

"I do apologize for calling you so early in the morning, Ma—"

"Bullshit."

"…Would you let me talk for a second?"

"_Technically_ speaking, I _did_ let you talk for a _second._"

Silence followed after the blonde said that one sentence that was filled with so much annoyance and was that sarcasm? Izaya was no doubt trying to figure out just why he put up with the blonde and was trying to gather some patience to deal with Masaomi right now. After all, he did instantly recall the last time this happened and would rather _not_ have to go through that _again. _That day was a rather…frustrating one for everyone who was around the blonde. "Listen—"

"I'm listening."

An annoyed groan could be heard over the phone from Izaya after Masaomi's sarcastic response. The blonde could just imagine the male pinching the bridge of his nose and pulling at his hair in frustration by now, "I only called you so early today because I need you to do be a favor." Izaya spoke so quickly that it make the blonde think he wasn't speaking a language that he knew, leaving him dumbstruck and more than calm by now. The only reason Izaya spoke so fast that it sounded like gibberish was so that the blonde couldn't interrupt him once again with some snide remark. "Wait, what? Repeat that slower in a language that I know too please."

"If I say it slower will you swear not to interrupt with some snide remark?" Masaomi wasn't positive, but he could of swore he heard Izaya laugh before he responded, it sounded like he spoke with amusement lapsing over his voice too.

"Well, I didn't interrupt you this time, did I?"

"…I suppose not. Anyways, I had said, I only called you so early today because I need you to do me a favor. Trust me, I remember what happened last time and would rather not have a repeat of that. I'm sure you wouldn't either." Masaomi remained silent, thinking it all over for a second, also using this time to bring his temper back down. _He sounds sincere and he did get upset with me just now, so maybe…Ah, whatever. Let's just see what he wants. _"Right, anyways. What's this favor you were talking about?" He asked, shifting in his bed so that he lay on his back instead of on his stomach and was facing the ceiling, making sure to lower his voice just in case Mikado was still asleep.

"Hm? Oh, right. I was wondering if you were free today. You see, I promised Saki that I would go shopping with her today, but things came up so I can't and was wondering if you would be willing to go with her. She offered to go by herself, but you know how society is these days. I would hate for her to get into any trouble just because she went by herself." Masaomi frowned, agreeing with Izaya one hundred percent, he had watched the news and seen what happened to a few females around their age and would hate for that to happen to Saki. Especially since she didn't deserve anything like that.

"Yeah, I'll go with her. I've wanted to hang out with Saki lately anyways. If you don't mind me asking, why can't you go? What came up?"

"Curiosity killed the cat, Masaomi." Izaya responded in a teasing sing-song voice, causing the blonde to roll his eyes at the immaturity, "But satisfaction brought it back." Izaya chuckled at the response, "That it did. If you really want to know, I'm not feeling too well. I think I may be coming down with something... Plus, Mairu and Kururi's principal called me last night and asked me to come in and talk with him today. Seems as though the girls caused trouble at school _again_. They say he's thinking about expelling them this time…"

"Damn, what did they do?"

"Who knows? When I asked them yesterday, they refused to answer. Saying it was going to be a surprise or something like that. I just hope that I can convince their principal to reconsider expelling them."

"I'm sure you will. You convince people easily." Masaomi responded without even registering what he was saying. It's not like he was being dishonest. What he said was the truth and he knew that Izaya knew it too. "I guess you have a point. Well, Saki will be here at my place around ten, so come around then, alright?" Masaomi made a sound of confirmation, lifting the phone from his ear so that he could check the time, "Yeah, I understand. See you then." Masaomi then hung up, not even waiting for Izaya to respond, "He woke me up at five in the morning to let me know when I still have five hours until I have to meet up with her…Couldn't he have woken me up three or two hours before instead of five? Talk about inconsiderate." Yes, Masaomi was talking to himself, but did he care? Not necessarily, no.

Deciding to try and get some more sleep, he placed his phone back onto the nightstand and shoved his face into his pillow. After a few minutes of just lying there, Masaomi found that he couldn't fall back asleep, no matter how much he tried, much to his demise. "…This is going to be a looooong day."

_DuRaRaRa!_

As Masaomi had expected in the beginning, after he was so rudely woken up by the infuriating ringing of his phone and his conversation with Izaya, he could not end up falling back asleep, no matter how hard he tried to will himself to sleep, it just didn't happen. Fate wasn't on his side today, it would seem. Before he knew it, it was already time to meet up with Saki next door at Izaya's place and then head on over to the shopping district to buy…whatever it was that Saki had wanted to buy today – he honestly didn't know since he wasn't told and didn't ask – and he was _still _tired. Bidding Mikado – whom was in his room and on his computer doing who knows what – goodbye, Masaomi made his way from their front lawn to Izaya's next door, making sure to jump over the fence separating their two properties like some skilled ninja, just to be a show-off because he could be. Walking up the front steps, Masaomi rung the doorbell, shoving his hands in his pockets as he waited for the door to open. What he wasn't expecting was for the door to slam open and have two females jump him, bringing him down to the floor, screaming at the top of their lungs, almost as if they were being slaughtered, "Mairu, Kururi, what the—"

"Big brother Masaomi! Don't let Izaya take us with him!"

"Who's fault is it for getting in trouble at school, hm? Trust me, I don't want to go either, but _we_ have too since you _two_ were being idiots." Izaya walked up behind them, leaning down to grab the two girls from the scruff of their collar, lifting them up and off of Masaomi who lay in pain on the floor, groaning, "Damn, one of these days, you guys are going to break my bones and I'll be sure to send the bill to Izaya…"

"Are you trying to imply that we are fat?!" Mairu shrieked, while Kururi got out her pepper spray and lifted it to Masaomi's face, finger moving to push down on the spray, allowing the substance to come out and send the now-standing blonde sprawling to the floor in pain, if it weren't for Izaya disarming his younger sister and saying that it was confiscated, causing Kururi to curse and have Mairu lunge for Izaya's throat, only to have him sidestep and grab her by the throat, "For the last time, _calm down_. I _do not_ want to deal with you two _right now_. Let me tell you something right now, if you piss me off, I _will_ bring you two pain and suffering, my two best friends." Gulping, the two shouted their understanding, begging him to give him them mercy, knowing how cruel their brother could be.

After shoving the two inside and making sure that they didn't try to run while he turned his back on them, Izaya turned towards the blonde and gave the blonde one of his smirks, acting as though none of that just happened right now, "So glad you could make it, come on in. Saki is already here and waiting for you. Oh, and before anything else, may I ask _why_ you are going to give your hospital bills to _me_, when it was _Mairu _and _Kururi_ who broke your bones, not _me_."

"Because you're their older brother and therefore you're in charge of them and responsible for their actions, duh." As soon as Izaya side-stepped, not knowing how to respond or if he even wanted to, and allowed the blonde inside, he moved in, nodding his head in thanks and heading over to where Saki was sitting on the couch, sipping on some tea as she comforted Mairu and Kururi, trying to reassure them that Izaya didn't really mean them any harm, he just wasn't in such a good mood that day…Hopefully. "Hey Saki, sorry if I kept you long. There were some…uh, difficulties at the front door."

Giggling, she nodded her head in understanding, setting her cup down onto the coffee table, and smiling at the blonde who stood before her, "So I heard. Don't worry about it though, it's fine. Thanks for agreeing to tag along with me on such short notice."

"It's no problem. I'm more than glad to go with you. So, you want to start heading out now or…?"

Nodding her head, Saki stood up and smoothed out the wrinkles in her clothes, wanting to look at least decently presentable, "Yeah, let's go before it gets any later and the stores get way too packed, making it difficult to buy anything." Grabbing onto his hand, she started dragging him out, calling goodbye to Izaya and the twins over her shoulder as he did the same, promising the sobbing Mairu and Kururi that he'd bring them back something if they behaved and didn't cause Izaya or anyone else any problems, "So, where are we going exactly? What do you need to buy?" Masaomi asked as they were walking down the street in the direction of the shopping district, thinking that they needed something to talk about as they walked, since it would be a long walk to the shopping district. "Well, there is this new store that opened a few weeks ago that all my friends tell me sell really nice female and male clothing for good prices, so I wanted to go and see if they have anything I like. Maybe we can find something for you too!"

"So we're buying clothes then?"

"Yup. I also want to look around some of the other stores and then maybe we can stop by Russia Sushi to get some late lunch? How does that sound? Oh, I forgot to ask. Is there a certain time you want to be home by? So I know if I need to hurry or not." Saki responded as she walked with her arms crossed behind her back, keeping up with Masaomi's nice not too fast nor too slow pace with a smile on her face as she walked. "That sounds good and nah, I don't have any plans today. Keep me for as long as you like." Saki turned to face him, looking unsure of herself as her smile fell a little, "Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother to you—"

"Trust me, Saki. You're not a bother. I like hanging out with you. It's nice, calming, and relaxing. A good break from all the craziness Izaya, Aoba, and the others bring me, you know what I mean?" She giggled, smile coming back twice as bright this time, if even humanly possible, maybe it was just a Saki thing. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Izaya and the others sure can be a handful sometimes. I like hanging out with you too, Masaomi. It really is relaxing. You know, now that I think about it, this is kind of like a date."

"A date?"

"Mhm, you and me going out to shop and then getting lunch later. Doesn't it sound like a date to you? It's how dates for most couples go. At least, that's what I hear." Saki explained, glancing at the blonde from the corner of her eye as a fond smile formed on her lips, looking slightly sheepish, "You have a point. Guess that means I need to act like a proper boyfriend and make this date a great one that you'll always remember, huh?" Giggling, Saki nodded her head in agreement, "Yup, you better be a good temporary boyfriend or I'll tell Izaya on you!"

"What's Izaya going to do to me if I don't? Not that I won't be a proper boyfriend."

"He'll probably kick your ass or something."

"I don't think that old geezer has a chance."

"Izaya's not _that _old, he's only eighteen, you know? Not that much older than you or me."

"Sure, but he seems like an adult doesn't he? Hm, if I were to make an estimation, maybe about twenty-four years old? Although, sometimes he seems like a little kid…"

The two stared at each other in silence before bursting into a fit of laughter, finding the whole ordeal hilarious in an odd but nice way, before walking in a comfortable silence once again. A few minutes of comfortable silence passed before Masaomi extended his arm, grabbing Saki's hand with his other hand and wrapping them in one of those sort of old fashioned ways that Masaomi couldn't remember the name of that very second. "In order to be a proper gentleman or in this case temporary boyfriend, you must escort a lady properly! According to Be A Proper Gentleman One-o-One." He announced his explanation of his actions when Saki turned to look at him with a questioning gaze, giggling as soon as she heard his words, "My, what a gentleman _and _temporary boyfriend you are!"

"You know it!" He winked playfully at her, causing both of them to laugh once again. Anyone who passed by would surely send them odd looks, wondering what on Earth was wrong with the two. Not that they cared. They were enjoying each other's company and that was all that mattered. _Might as well enjoy our time while I have the chance, considering what Izaya has planned…_Saki glumly thought, but hurriedly tossed that thought away, not wanting to dwell on _that_ for too long. Oh, but she just hoped Masaomi would forgive her afterwards.

The rest of the walk to the shopping district and the specific store Saki wanted to go to consisted of nothing more than them fooling around with each other, cracking jokes or doing ridiculous things that had them doubling over in laughter. All Masaomi knew was that Saki was making his Sunday much better than what it had been previously earlier in the morning and for that, he was thankful. They spent quite a few hours going from store to store, buying whatever they liked and most importantly, could afford. They were teenagers, thus their money was limited and they had to spend it wisely. When it was about two to three hours past noon, they found themselves getting hungry and decided to end their shopping there for the day and make their way over to Russia Sushi for a late much needed lunch. They were instantly greeted by Simon and after having a quick brief conversation with the Russian; they were escorted inside and seated at the counter where their orders were instantly taken.

"Okay, okay, I get it already! Just leave me alone, Aoba!" Masaomi and Saki turned towards the entrance of the small quaint shop, wondering what the shouting was about, "I must say, I'm disappointed and impressed all at the same time. Disappointed that you only lasted so long, but impressed that you held out this far. Especially after what happened on Friday after school. I thought you may just give in then—Oh, hey senpai! Funny seeing you here! We were just talking about you too! Guess what? Neko finally gave in to the temptation today!"

"What?! No way! Really?!" Masaomi exclaimed, eyes widening slightly as the two teens sat down beside the temporary couple, "Really! Do you know what that means, senpai? I win the bet! Now, hand over my money, would you?"

"Ah, but—"

"No buts~!"

Grumbling incoherent curses, Masaomi fished out his wallet from his back pocket and emptied its content onto the counter, sorting out the necessary amount and sliding it over to Aoba, leaving his wallet nearly empty and the blonde with a frown, "Damn, can't believe I lost...Either way, congratulations, Neko. For getting this far without obsessing over cats. You did really well, especially, – like Aoba said – especially after what happened Friday. I'm impressed."

"Stop mocking me you guys…" Neko muttered, thanking Simon for the cup of water and sipping on it dejectedly, "We're not mocking you, Neko! We really are impressed you lasted so long. We're proud of you for what you achieved, aren't we Aoba?" Aoba nodded his head in agreement, "We can't wait to see how much longer you last next time either." Masaomi made some sort of sound of agreement from the back of his throat, looking excited for some odd reason. Neko looked between the two, narrowing his eyes in suspicion, "You guys…Is it just me, or do you two sound like parents?"

"…Parents?" The two simultaneously questioned with a tilt of their heads, "Yeah, parents. You said that you were proud of me for what I achieved and accomplished and that you couldn't wait to see how I improved. Sounds like something parents would say to me…" The two exchanged glances and thought about it, finding they actually sort of agreed with Neko, oddly enough. "You…have a point."

"I would totally be the fatherly figure though, while Aoba would be the motherly figure!"

"Excuse me?! Me? No, no, no, I think _you_ would be the motherly figure!" Aoba choked out, sending Masaomi a challenging look that said blonde returned without a second look, "I personally think it could be either way, but if I had to chose one…I wouldn't be able to! What about you, Yuma-chi? What do you think? Who do you see topping and bottoming more? Aoba or Kida?" All three males and Saki turned to see Erika and Walker standing behind them, both seemingly in deep thought and discussion over the matter. "I don't know, Erika. Let's ask them…Hey guys! Who tops more often?"

"…What?"

"Yuma-chi asked you two who tops more often, sillies!" Erika giggled, placing her hands on her hips, looking between the two of them expectantly, "Wait, as in…you know, _that_? That BL stuff you love so much?" Masaomi questioned, catching on to what Erika and Walker met almost instantly, much to his shame. "Yup!" Erika happily cheered, ignoring Aoba startled look and Masaomi's embarrassed one, "We don't do anything like that, Erika!"

"Aw, but you two were just trying to figure out who'd be the motherly and fatherly figure in your relationship—"

"That's because Neko said we acted like parents to him! We're not together or anything like that! I'm straight, straight I tell you! I like girls! Boobylicious girls too!" Masaomi shouted, flushing in embarrassment, looking mighty panicked when speaking about his sexuality to Erika of _all_ people, not that she really noticed or cared. "I call bullshit, but whatever. That's a matter for another time. Let's just pretend that you two are in a relationship and tell me, who would top the most?"

Masaomi and Aoba shared a look, before turning to face Erika and simultaneously saying, "Me obviously." The two snapped their heads to look back at each other again, looking surprised, before they started arguing about who would actually top and who would bottom, "I would totally top because I mean, look at me! I'm way more manly than you and everything! Look at this muscle! With me topping, you'd be in for an _amazing_ ride."

"What does being manly have to do with anything?! I have muscle too! Are you sure, senpai? I think if I were to top, it'd be _way_ more _amazing_ than with having you top. I would have you squirming underneath me, _begging_ me for more, _screaming_ my name at the top of your lungs!"

"Ha, I think you're mistaken, Aoba! You'd be _begging _me and _screaming_ _my_ name!"

"Why don't you two just test it out and see who tops better?" Erika chimed in, hoping that their anger wouldn't let them to think properly and have them just give in to her idea like that. Did it work?

"Let's do it— Wait, what?! Ew, no!"

Ehh, it worked for a second, then they realized what they had said and changed their mind, "Damn it…" Erika sure was looking forward to that too…Sucks, doesn't it?

_I'll get them to do it soon, watch. Just you watch. They'll be thanking me in the future._

_DuRaRaRa! !_

The sun had long since set for the day, the moon taking its place high in the sky, when Masaomi and Saki had made it to Saki's apartment complex. They had ended up taking a few hours longer than they originally had expected leaving Russia Sushi after Aoba and the other three arrived, considering how they were all in a heated discussion, or heated argument in Aoba and Masaomi's case, about the most oddest of things. Since it had gotten so late, Masaomi offered to walk Saki home and she agreed, albeit after some convincing on Masaomi's part, talking about how it wasn't gentlemanly to let a woman such as Saki walk home alone so late at night and whatnot. It seemed luck was in everyone's favor that night, since the route to Saki's apartment was a short fast one, allowing the two of them to arrive in front of the building quickly. It was great since they were all so tired. Saki could instantly tell how tired Masaomi was considering how he kept letting yawn after yawn escape his lips, therefore she quickly ushered him away, sending him home. She found it sweet how he offered to take her home, even though he was so tired, but that's a story for another time and doesn't really matter right now.

After making sure he did, indeed, start heading home, Saki slowly entered her apartment, not in any rush to get inside, even though she was tired. To be honest, she wanted to take as long as possible, even though her muscles and eyes were telling her to get to bed quickly, and that she needed some rest. She didn't want to though. She wanted this day to go on for as long as possible. Now, there wasn't anything necessarily good about today. She would willingly live any other fun day with Masaomi. Sure, this Sunday was a blast and all! She had tons of fun with Masaomi and even Aoba, Neko, Erika, and Walker. It's just she knew what Izaya had planned for the blonde and how quickly said plan was approaching. She knew Masaomi would feel hurt afterwards and she didn't want to hurt him. She really didn't. But could she go against Izaya?

Never.

Oh, but God knew how much she wished she could.

God knew how badly she wanted to warn Masaomi about what Izaya had planned. How she wanted to spare his feelings before it was too late. To save their friendship before she was forced to do something that she didn't want to. Before she was forced to break his heart, give it to Izaya, and then—Oh, she's saying too much right now. She needs to stop. "I need to stop Izaya before it's too late…" But again, could she? No. The mere reminder of how she was indebted to Izaya and couldn't help Masaomi brought tears to her eyes. It was an odd sight too, since Saki never cried. That's just how affected by all this she was.

Saki's phone chime went off, notifying her that she had a text message she needed to respond to. Grabbing her phone, she swiped open her messages and found that she had a message from Izaya that read, "How'd the date go? Everything falling into plan? Is he acting by my expectations? Do you think it's a good time to move into the next stage of my plan?" With shaky fingers, she responded immediately, "It went as you planned, yeah. Besides the fact that we had a little company that halted my moves. I don't really know. What do you think? You're the mastermind here after all."

"Company? By that I'm guessing you mean a certain little brat named Kuronuma Aoba, right? I hate him. He's always getting in my way, even if he doesn't know it. Anyways, Masaomi seems pretty infatuated with you. By now, maybe more so than he is with me. I think it'd be a good idea to start the next stage. Before we really go through with it though, I'll need you to hang out with him more. Continue to give him a false sense that he has a chance with you. Let's get his hopes high up. That way he'll break good. Oh, but not too high. I want to see him break better than he did with you once he comes to me. Alright, well. I'll let you go now. Goodnight, Saki."

"Goodnight, Izaya."

Tapping out of her messages with Izaya, she opened up a new message with Masaomi and typed, "Masaomi, don't trust Izaya. He's using you. He has this plan that'll hurt you, I know it. Don't trust me either. But please, listen to this message. It'd be wise to avoid me after you read this too. It'll be better for both of us. I know I'm not making any sense right now, but please just believe me and be careful." Did she send this message to Masaomi?

No.

And do you know why?

Because she couldn't betray Izaya like that. She wanted to. She felt more for Masaomi than she really should. She knew it. This was all a bad idea. She never should have got involved with Masaomi. She never should have gotten involved with Izaya for God's sake. People make mistakes though, don't they? That's what made us all human after all. The pain, the mistakes, all of it. Oh, but how she wished she didn't make _this_ mistake. Because now she was stuck and she could do nothing about it.

She would always be Izaya's little marionette after all. No matter how much she hated it…

* * *

**Ahaha, that wasn't the best I wrote, but yay I updated, right? This chapter was meant to be more of a push for the plot. Oh, and we're reaching the end of this fic soon if you couldn't tell! How exciting is that? Unless I come up with something else last minute and change all my plans but I highly doubt it, aha. Oh, and so I watched the dub of season two part two while waiting for Ketsu to come out and oh my god, what did they do to my poor baby Neko?! His voice is just...it throws me off, you know? Or is that just me who is affected? Aoba was okay, wasn't too disappointing, but Neko oh god-**

**Anyways, REVIEW!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Little bit later than when I wanted to upload this, forgive me. I was busy with school, but having all this extra time to write out this chapter gave me time to figure out how I wanted the rest of the story to play out. Therefore, that means I already have the ending planned out and that this story shall be ending very soon! Possibly in the next chapter! That's something to look forward to!**

**Disclaimer: Durarara! belongs to Ryohgo Narita, not me.**

* * *

Chapter 23:

The Rain Before the Storm.

For weeks following the day where Saki and Masaomi went shopping – or as they jokingly called it, on a date – their days turned out to be filled to the brim with almost nothing but hanging out in each other's company. It didn't matter what they were doing. They could be doing homework, playing video games, shopping, eating at Russia Sushi, or even just be sitting beside each other. No matter what they did, they were both content and happy. Sure, Masaomi and Saki would take day breaks from each other to hang out with their own other friends, but lately, as time passed, it seemed as though the time they spent away from each other was beginning to decrease bit by bit, excruciatingly slow, but present nonetheless. It was as if they suddenly became inseparable, like they were joined by the hip twenty-four-seven. In result to them being together so often, some of the students and even random passing citizens had mistaken the two as a couple, only to have the two correct them all and say that they were nothing more than friends. Although, the more the mistakes were made, the more Masaomi thought, – yes, he can think contrary to most beliefs and credit he's been given – the more he began to wonder how exactly he felt about Saki and how she felt about him. Did they just like each other as friends? Or did they grow feelings for each other sometime in the months that they've known each other? Who really knows, but Masaomi sure wondered.

Believe it or not, Masaomi and Saki were actually hanging out with each other this very second. As soon as they were released from school that lovely Friday, the two of them agreed to hang out at Saki's apartment complex today and were now seated in front of the coffee table, side by side, working on homework in a blissful, relaxing even, silence. Although, as time passed, Masaomi's thoughts began to overpower his concentration on the homework that lay in front of him, catching Saki's attention as soon as he set his pencil down in favor of resting his chin on his palm. His thoughts were of nothing but their relationship again, as expected. His main focus was on attempting to figure out how Saki felt about him. Whenever people would make the mistake of thinking they were a couple, Saki wouldn't say much. She would just go, "Masaomi and I are just friends," and then promptly walk off, paying no more heed to the rumor and forgetting about it instantly. It made Masaomi think that she didn't harbor any feelings such as love for him, much to his honest disappointment. After all, he may or may not have grown some feelings for during the past few weeks.

"Masaomi? Something on your mind? You've been staring into space for the past five minutes."

Startled out from his thoughts, he blinked and turned to face her, his confusion clearly etched onto his face, "Have I really? Sorry, I was just lost in my thoughts. It's nothing you need to worry about so don't, okay?" Saki's caring smile morphed into a slight frown as her eyebrows scrunched together in honest to God worry, "Normally, I would believe you and go along with it, but lately I've been noticing that you space out a lot. If something or someone is bothering you, you can talk to me, you know that right, Masaomi?"

"You actually noticed? Dang, I didn't think anyone did. To be honest, I didn't even notice myself. Guess you have eyes like hawks, huh? Can you see far too? 'Cause now _that_ would be super cool!" Masaomi laughed, sending her one of his mandatory grins, although she could easily tell that it was forced just ever so slightly and she could also tell that he was trying to change the subject in order to avoid her prying questions. "Masaomi—" Almost as if he knew that she was about to protest about him changing the subject, he interrupted, smile never leaving his face, but also not losing that forcefulness that he used and Saki hated seeing, "Relax Saki. I told you, didn't I? It's nothing major so you don't need to worry about it. I was just doing some thinking is all. If it makes you any happier, no one and nothing is bothering me. I'm just doing some thinking about life, okay?"

"Fine," As Saki answered, she looked hesitant to give in, but no doubt didn't want to pressure him into telling her everything, that just wasn't the type of person Saki was. She was a more reserved person who gave people time to think about whatever was bothering them, if they needed a shoulder to cry on or someone to consult, she became that person. Although, the feelings that she had for Masaomi were starting to overpower her capability of thinking straight, they were getting so out of hand, that she just wanted to cry and tell him _everything_. But she knew she couldn't do that. Not with Izaya around almost twenty-four seven, not to mention her loyalty, "But if I learn that you're lying to me I'll be mad! I might even have Izaya kick your butt!" She giggled at his expression that practically screamed how much he doubted Izaya could do anything to him, "Like Izaya could touch this," He motioned his hands towards himself, sending her a teasing wink, "He wishes he could of course. I mean, who doesn't?"

"Oh, right. Forgive me, I forgot that _no one_ could _ever_ lay a _hand _on the _great Kida Masaomi_!" Saki rolled her eyes upon seeing his smug look, at least glad to see that he was no longer forcing a smile. Whenever Masaomi would flash her one of his bright grins, she was always filled with a sense of glee and happiness that would make her smile. His smiles were contagious after all. "You are forgiven, dear Saki. But do try and remember that next time. Remember me and my awesomeness, okay?"

"Oh, but of course."

Silence followed her statement, before the two laughed like the love-struck idiots that they were, each curling forward slightly as they laughed, "No wonder everyone mistakes us as a couple, you know me so well!" _Ahh, so that must have been what he was thinking about…Looks like Izaya was right. Again. I should report this to Izaya as soon as possible, like he told me to do. _"It's not my fault you're so easy to read and that your actions are already known even before you plan to do them."

"Easy to read? Am I really?" Saki shrugged her shoulders, adverting her gaze ever so slightly at the mention of how Masaomi was easy to read. It was something Izaya had told her, but he had also said something along the lines of how easy Masaomi was to read and then how difficult he was. Izaya had said that because of this fact, he was interested in Masaomi. She couldn't really remember off the top of her head what Izaya had said, after all, it was some months ago. The very first day Izaya met Masaomi to be exact. Izaya had texted her, telling her of his plans for the blonde and everything. She would never tell anyone, but she was starting to believe that now, after hanging out with the blonde constantly, Izaya had different plans in mind that he hadn't told her of. It was something that the other girls and her had discussed one time. Something along the lines of how Izaya was starting to _feel_ for the blonde. Whether or not it was true, remained unknown to Saki. She had her beliefs in mind though. "I guess so, that's what Izaya says at least. I'm starting to think he's right. Again."

Masaomi scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest in an indignant manner, "Again? Are you trying to imply that Izaya is always right?" Saki nodded, not looking the least bit hesitant in her response, almost as if she said the exact same thing over and over. Knowing Saki, she probably had. "Yup. Izaya is smart. He knows everything. If you ever want to know something, I'd recommend going to ask him. He's sure to have an answer. His information is never false either." Masaomi frowned but stored the information away for safe keeping, just in case he did ever need to ask Izaya something of importance. He had this gut feeling that he would need to in the near future. "Riiiight. Speaking of Izaya, I have a question for you, Saki."

"A question? What is it? I'll answer whatever it is you want to know."

"Well, from how long I have known the two of you, you two seem pretty close. You seem pretty devoted to him. I guess, what I'm trying to ask is, what is your relationship exactly?" Judging by the blonde's words, movements, and facial expression, Masaomi didn't think this question through properly. He looked confused on what he was trying to say, even looking like he wanted to take back the words right away, "Hm…My relationship with Izaya? Well, you've heard the rumors right? Aoba had also said it to me once back around the first few days you were here too, you remember?. I'm Izaya's _slave_, of sorts. He uses me however he pleases and I don't have any room for complaint."

"I remember and have heard of the rumors, yeah. What do you mean that you're his slave though? What type of things does he use you for? What do you mean you have no room to complain?" With brows furrowed, he inquired her for answers, not exactly liking the thoughts of her being Izaya's slave.

"I can't exactly answer you there. If I told you what type of things he used me for, he would get upset and it'd ruin everything. I don't complain about his requests because I don't really want to. I owe Izaya a lot. Hence, I'm ready to throw my freedom away for him." Frowning, Masaomi continued to press on, "Why can't you tell me? Is he using you for illegal things? Sexual things? He isn't is he? I know Izaya likes to…" The blonde trailed off, finding his voice leave him towards the end as he flushed in embarrassment at the images that flashed through his head of lips upon lips and—yeah, he was so done thinking of this, "A-Anyways, you said you owe Izaya a lot. If you don't mind me asking, what do you mean by that?"

"I can't tell you for certain private reason, but I assure you, he's not using me for illegal or sexual things," Upon seeing the blonde halt and flush in embarrassment, Saki frowned, making a mental note to herself that stated she tell Izaya about this too, knowing that he'd be thrilled to hear about it, "I don't mind at all. Izaya, he helped me quite a while back. I don't really want to go too in detail because I'd rather forget that time, but just know that Izaya was like the knight in shining armor that I always dreamed of as a small girl. He helped without any good reason to, thus I'm so loyal to him. I feel as though I could never pay him back for what he did for me."

Hearing that she wasn't being used for illegal or immoral reasons had Masaomi releasing a sigh of relief, that of course didn't go unnoticed by Saki who was keeping an eye on him and his every action, "Well, I'm not going to tell you how to live and how not to live your life, just as long as he isn't using you for bad things. But being so devoted to him is a flaw of yours. I don't remember if I told you this or not, but either way, I'm telling you now. You should trying getting rid of that flaw. And if you need, I can help you." Saki froze, her heart skipping a beat at his words, no matter how cliché sounding they were from him. Knowing that he cared for her at least a little filled her with joy, but remembering what she had to do to Masaomi ruined that joy. Instead of saying anything for fear she might crack, she merely smiled and nodded her head in understanding, before focusing once again on her work. Masaomi soon followed suit and began to focus on his homework as well, shoving his thoughts and questions to the back of his mind for later.

_DuRaRaRa!_

Before anyone could expect, the wide-spread celebrated event known as Valentine's Day was just around the corner. In precisely a week to be exact. With this event nearing so quickly, couples of all kinds were coming forth and preparing gifts like chocolate or flowers for their beloveds. The air shared around Ikebukuro was, for the most part, cheerful with love in the air. All expect for a few were eagerly awaiting the day where they would spend all their time with their loved one, being allowed to freely share their love with everyone. One of those people happened to be Kida Masaomi. Believe it or not.

Masaomi, he normally was one all for this event. Everyone who knows Masaomi should obviously know that he is a big time flirt. He especially loved Valentine's Day because it gave him better luck – or at least he considered it to be better luck – to get the girl of his dreams. Or should we say girl_s. _All hail polygamy after all.

Although, _this _year's Valentine's Day so far didn't appeal to the blonde. For what reason you ask? It's simple really. He had a major predicament. That predicament was the fact that this year, he had no one to be his Valentine. Now, of course, there have been several years where he had no one to be his Valentine, but details, details. Who needs them?

Now, with this situation – serious situation if you were to ask Masaomi – in mind, this very second, Masaomi was pacing back and forth in front of the kitchen dining table, where Mikado sat, sipping on his coffee while dozing off ever so slightly. It was a Sunday morning, – the Sunday before Valentine's – an early Sunday morning to be exact. Masaomi had woken up at an ungodly hour – and he says the time Mikado wakes up is ungodly – and went running to Mikado, seeking assistance that Mikado would, under normal circumstance, love to give, but they weren't 'under normal circumstances' that fine morning. You see, the night before, Mikado had stayed up past midnight, working on some homework that he neglected to complete Friday evening. Thus, Mikado was running on much less than eight hours of sleep. The coffee he was throwing down his system seemingly useless.

Masaomi must have taken notice that Mikado wasn't exactly listening to his ramblings, for he slammed his hands down upon the table, shouting and effectively startling the half-dozing Mikado, "Mikado! Are you even _listening_ to me?! This is a serious situation and you're over here sleeping! Come on man, I need help here!"

"W-What?! Uh, y-yeah. I'm listening. Um, what were we talking about again?" Mikado nervously responded looking apologetic and in dire need of some sleep. Mikado set his half filled cup of coffee on the table for fear that he'd drop it once again if he were to doze off, but after some thought, he decided against it and took it back into his hands in fear that Masaomi would destroy the cup if he were to get upset and slam his hands on the table once again. Mikado trusted himself more with the cup than he did if the cup were with Masaomi to be perfectly and fairly honest.

"Miiiikado! I was right! You _weren't _listening to me! Some friend you are…" Collapsing into the pulled out chair in defeat, Masaomi dropped his head onto the beautifully clean wood with a sickening `bam' that had Mikado cringing, wondering if the blonde was alright, but deciding against commenting and instead, focusing on helping the blonde solve whatever problem it was that he had. "Um, Masaomi? Explain your problem to me again. I promise, I'm listening this time. I'll see what I can do to help. Okay?" Masaomi tilted his head so that he could peer up at Mikado judgingly, fully not expecting Mikado to listen to him ramble about the same thing for a second time, but found himself giving in and starting to explain anyways, "Alright, fine. I'll talk. Let me just think of a way to make it simple enough that you can understand."

"Hey—"

"Aha! I got it! Okay, Mikado. I want you to answer a little questionnaire for me, okay?" Mikado's blank stare turned into a frown at being called simple-minded – more like hinted towards – and being interrupted. Mikado had refrained himself from commenting back on it, knowing that going down _that_ road would be pointless and an utter complete waste of time. Thus, he nodded and motioned for Masaomi to go on and start asking the questions. Said blonde didn't need to be told twice, he started out with his first question before Mikado could even blink. "Alright, question number one! What day is it today? Be specific! Say the month and date too! Year is optional."

"It's Sunday, the seventh of February." Mikado responded, ignoring Masaomi's strange odd hand gestures, in preference of staying focused so that he didn't upset Masaomi again. He'd rather not get another tiny heart attack from his best friend thank you very much. Masaomi's record was bad as it is. No need to add accidental murder to that list.

"Good, good! Okay, time for question number two! What day will it be exactly a week from now?" Mikado tilted his head to the side in thought, wondering what the entire point of this was as well as trying to figure out the answer, "The fourteenth of February?"

"Correct, my man! That's a total of two points now! Okay, now tell me, what exactly is going to happen on the fourteenth of February?" This question took longer for Mikado to get the answer for. _The fourteenth? What's going on the fourteenth? It's not his birthday, that's for sure. That's not until four months and on the nineteenth…What on Earth is going on during the fourteenth? _Seemingly at a loss, Mikado sneaked a look at the calendar that was on the wall in order to find the answer. His eyes trailed down to the fourteenth and there, in red fancy neat writing, were the two words, Valentine's Day. An imaginary light bulb went off a top Mikado's head, "Valentine's Day, that's right. That means I still need to get An—I mean, uh, ahaha…"

"Wow, wow, wow! Is this what I think it is?! Mikado _you_, of all people, have a Valentine this year?!" Masaomi shouted, eyes going wide, mouth forming into a pout, "That's not fair! I'm over here panicking because I don't have one and here you go, saying that you already have one." Mikado opened his mouth to speak up, but Masaomi instantly interrupted, whether it was accidental or purposeful, no one really know, "Who is it? You said 'An—' Who do I know that starts with an A and an N?" Masaomi went into deep thought, determined to figure out who this mysterious person was, but meanwhile, Mikado was panicking. He didn't want Masaomi to find out. It would ensue in nothing but chaos for sure.

"Never mind me, you were saying something about how you don't have a Valentine—"

"No changing the subject, Mikado! I will find out who your Valentine is and then I'll snitch on you to Anri—Wait." Sudden realization hit the blonde at maximum speed, but he had to be sure. "Anri, it's Anri, isn't it?"

"W-What? Anri? N-No! She's nothing more than a friend, an acquaintance at least. Come on, M-Masaomi. Stop joking like that…Ahaha…ha…ha…" Silence took over their conversation for a good full minute, each avoiding eye contact – more like Mikado was avoiding eye contact actually. "Mikado, you are such a terrible liar."

"I know…"

After their conversation about how terrible a liar Mikado was, Masaomi had gently pushed – if you were to ask Mikado he'd say that Masaomi forced him to tell – Mikado into telling him about how he managed to get Anri to be his Valentine. Mikado hesitantly told Masaomi that he actually had _not_ gotten Anri to be his Valentine. Mikado had been too fearful to ask Anri such a thing, thus he was going to surprise her the day of by giving her chocolates and flowers then promptly running away. Mikado then hid his face in shame, earning a sigh out of Masaomi and a relieved look. Hey, he was relieved that Mikado hadn't gotten a Valentine before him, okay? It'd ruin his supposed reputation if Mikado actually managed to do that. Not that Masaomi wouldn't have been proud for his friend, he actually would. It'd mean that Mikado is _finally_ growing out of his shell. Albeit whether or not that is a good or bad thing remains unknown.

Once Mikado had finished explaining his embarrassing situation, he managed to convince Masaomi to switch topics and get back to the original problem. Masaomi instantly panicked once it was brought up and was shouting something about how he was wasting precious time, "Okay, so from what my understanding is, you are panicking because you don't have a Valentine, right?"

"Right. So, Mikado my good ol' pal, any words of advice?" Masaomi asked, throwing his arm over Mikado's should to prevent any possible escape Mikado may try. Not that Masaomi suspected Mikado would try to run. It was just a precaution. Besides, even if Mikado _did_ end up running and abandoning the blonde, Masaomi could easily and effortlessly catch up and force the male to help. Remember, Mikado wasn't such a fast runner.

"Well, I'm not that great when it comes to the opposite gender. It's more your thing and you know that. But I'll try my best to help you out. Um, is there anyone that you had your eye on lately?" Mikado tentatively asked, not exactly sure what he should do in that moment to be honest. Masaomi didn't seem to mind his awkwardness much and instead, did his best to answer honestly, "Anyone that I had my eye on lately? You make me sound like some weird pervert, Mikado." Of course, with Masaomi, you can never get straight to the point, there has to be some sort of joke in between, "Masaomi, do you want help or not?"

"Sorry, sorry. Anyways, I can't think of anyone that I have my eye on…" Mikado hummed thoughtfully, thinking to see if he could think of anyone since Masaomi apparently couldn't – or just didn't want to say who he had in mind, "What about Saki? You two seem to be hanging out quite a bit." Masaomi frowned, shaking his head, "Nah, Saki and I are just friends. It'd be weird if she were my Valentine. It'd be the equivalent of having you as my Valentine."

Mikado looked unconvinced, but didn't say anything, instead began to think of someone else, "What about Izaya? You two seem pretty close. I mean, you guys are always k-k-kissing each other." At the mention of Izaya and their tendency to kiss – Masaomi straight out argues that he's forced into those things, he swears on his life – Masaomi went beat red in embarrassment, choking on air, "M-Mikado! I'm just going to pretend that you didn't just recommend _Izaya_ of _all_ people." Speaking of Izaya, Masaomi found himself missing the male's company. They haven't hung out in awhile and— Masaomi groaned, not liking where his thoughts were going. He blamed it all on Mikado.

"What? It's true though, isn't it?"

"No! Not even close!"

"But you two—"

"Lalala, I can't hear you! Lalala!" Masaomi didn't care if he was being childish; he just didn't want to think of what he and Izaya had done. He was just glad that Mikado wasn't one of those people who liked to tease. Mikado soon coughed into his hand, muttering just barely loud enough for Masaomi to hear, "Someone's in denial." Okay, maybe Masaomi was wrong about Mikado.

"Mikado!"

_DuRaRaRa!_

That following Monday, Masaomi was seated with his gang – and Saki of course – under the tree for lunch, as they always were nowadays. For everyone there, seeing Saki sitting with them was by now a common occurrence that no one really commented on anymore. Saki was still with the Dollars yes, but no one seemed to care. Everyone liked her and had no problem with her whatsoever, so they were fine and didn't mind her constantly being around. Besides, everyone was convinced that their boss – Masaomi – was in a relationship with Saki and they didn't want to ruin that _young love _as they put it – no matter how much Masaomi would tell them that he and Saki were just friends, they wouldn't listen. In result to their false belief, they always made sure to sit a few feet away from the two, leaving them all the privacy they could give. Normally, along with Saki, the Blue Squares sat with them as well. Today, for some reason, they weren't present, not even Aoba or Neko. It's not that they were absent that day; Masaomi had just seen them last period. Masaomi would later learn that they were gone because they were playing some trick on the teachers that Masaomi would get offended over because he wasn't invited.

Saki leaned against the tree; glancing at the blonde from the corner of her eye, watching as Masaomi munched on whatever food he was given from Simon and Dennis today, "Hey, Masaomi. Out of curiosity, do you have a Valentine this year? You seem like someone who would have more than one every year. No offense." Upon hearing her question, Masaomi choked on his food, surprised to hear her asking him about it. Especially since he was just complaining to Mikado about that again for the umpteenth time, "Uhh, no. I don't. What about you? Do you have a Valentine this year? You seem popular enough to get one."

"Nope." Saki shook her head, same never changing smile on her face, "I haven't had one for years now. I'd occasionally get some chocolates from admirers, but that's really about it. No one really approaches me because of Izaya."

"What would you do if someone asked you to be their Valentine? Would you agree?" Masaomi didn't really know _why_ he was asking Saki this, he just was. But it's not like he was saying, _what if I asked you,_ was he? He was just curious on what she'd say is all, "Hm, I guess it depends on who the person is. What about you?"

"Same I guess, it all just depends."

"Hm, that so…?"

Masaomi frowned, furrowing his brows in confusion. Something seemed off about Saki. Something he couldn't place his finger on. She looked almost fearful and worried about something. What that something was Masaomi had no idea. It was strange to Masaomi too. Saki hardly ever showed any emotion besides her normal happy one. When she did show something else, it was rare. Almost as rare as the legendary Pokémon used to be, back before there were suddenly a gazillion legendaries. The way she talked to him was kinda off too. Almost as if she didn't really know what she was saying, or she didn't want to say it but it had to be said. Wanting to try and help ease Saki from her fear and worry, he placed his hand on her shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting manner, "Saki? Everything okay?"

Startled out of her thoughts, she nodded quickly, replacing her worried frown with a happy smile, "Yup! Sorry about that, I just got lost in thought! Sorry Masaomi, but I have to use the little girl's room real quick. See you in next period!" With that said Saki stood up and calmly walked off, cursing herself for letting her emotions seek through her façade. That's the effect Masaomi had on her. He made her lose control of herself. It needed to stop before something bad happened. But she didn't really want it to.

_DuRaRaRa!_

Walking at a calm nice and easy pace, Saki made her way to the library where she knew Izaya would be. Entering the room quietly, she glanced around at the shelves and shelves of countless books. Books of all kinds could be found here. Old ancient history books to new manga. Whatever you wanted, Raira's library was bound to have it. Saki made her way down the aisle that contained history books, walking all the way towards the back end, taking several twists and turns to get to her designated spot. Sitting in a secluded corner, away from the rest of the library, only found if you knew where to go, was Orihara Izaya, reading a history book that spoke of random events in history. As soon as Saki sat down beside him on the beanbag that Izaya himself had brought and stored here in the library, he gently shut the book and set it to the side, "Ah, Saki. It's good to see you. So, tell me. What do you have for me today, hm?"

"I asked Masaomi about the whole Valentine's thing like you told me to and he said he doesn't have anyone yet." Izaya nodded, taking the information in with a calculating look on his face, before motioning for her to go on, "Did he say anything in particular? Perhaps, asking you a question about Valentine's Day?"

"Yeah, he did. He asked me, what would you do if someone asked you to be their Valentine? Would you agree?" Saki responded without missing a beat, grabbing a random book off from the shelf behind her and flipping through its contents with minor curiosity towards what was actually written down, "And? What did you respond with?" He pressed, "I said, it depends."

"I see, did he ask anything else?" Saki thought about whether or not she should tell Izaya about how he asked if she was okay, quickly deciding against it, not thinking it important and finding it to be a bad idea, "No, not really. At least, nothing really important." Izaya gave her a look that hinted that he already knew everything, even the things she didn't tell him, but he didn't seem to care enough to comment, "I see, well. Let me tell you what I want you to do now." Saki closed the book, setting it down in her lap, turning to face Izaya properly, giving him her full undivided attention, "Alright."

"I or someone else will talk to him and convince him to ask you to be his Valentine, since it's so obvious he wants you to be his. It would be assigned to be a surprise. He'd ask you to meet up and then he'd give you chocolates and flowers, confessing his hidden love for you. Not that he really loves you. It's all just a figment of his imagination. He _thinks_ that he loves you. Anyways, you shall give him a rejection. Make sure to make it as cruel and cold and possible. I won't tell you how to do that, give it your best shot. By then, I shall have him all warmed up to me again, then when you break his heart, he'll come running into my arms and, what will I do, you ask? I'll pick up the pieces of his broken heart, fix them, make him fall in love with me, pretend to be in love with him and in a relationship of sorts, and then I'll break him and make him make a face of pain and betrayal that shall give me goose bumps for days. He'll try to hate me afterwards, but of course he can't. By then, it'll be too late; he'll be too far invested in me and can't give me up. You see, Masaomi is a masochist of sorts. He will _enjoy_ the heartbreak I bring him, only to come back to me _begging _for more." Izaya laughed a maniacal laugh, just imagining the entire thing thrilled Izaya beyond belief. He was starting to get impatient, wanting to break the blonde quickly. But he contained himself. Knowing perfectly well that these things take time.

"I understand, but I have one question Izaya." Saki spoke, after Izaya came down from his high of laughing so maniacally, "Oh? Go ahead and ask. I'll be happy to answer your questions!" Saki's frown deepened ever so slightly, causing Izaya's smirk to grow in size just ever so slightly, "Aren't you breaking his heart twice? Once with me and then with you. What will the difference be? Why did you even take such a liking in Masaomi anyways? I've never seen you get this attached to someone."

"Saki that was three questions, not one. Seems you've forgotten how to count. No matter, it doesn't bother me in the slightest. Let's start answering your questions now, shall we? What was the first one again, aren't I breaking his heart twice, correct? Technically speaking, yes. What will the difference be? My, Saki, you do really have much to learn. I guess there will be no harm in explaining. Masaomi, as I've said, thinks he's madly in love with you, correct? But he's wrong. He doesn't know it yet, since he's naïve, but I've made it so that I'm always on his mind. He has become infatuated with me. Masaomi, you see, he must have taken notice and disliked it, thinking he's anything but a homosexual, not that he has a problem with those sorts of people. He's too kind hearted for that. Therefore, to try and get rid of his hidden feelings for me, he tricked himself into believing that he loves you. Why do you think he's been trying so hard after all?" Izaya paused, taking this moment to take in her expression and get any information he wanted from there, also to think about the next final question.

"As for your last question, why did I take such a liking in Masaomi? Well, it's quite simple really. He excites me. Not like all my other lovely humans. Sure, they amuse me; they're a wonderful source for entertainment, but _Masaomi_. Now, he is something else entirely. He goes perfectly against and with my calculations. I never know what he's going to do! Hence, I'm being cautious in this operation. So far, everything has gone as planned, with a few downs, but those were easily solved. Not to mention how he acts. At times, he acts like the useless character that is just there to crack jokes and be the funny guy. But then he has that sort of plot twist where he's suddenly one of the serious characters who has tons of people under him and is much clever than other give him credit for. Or, in other words, Masaomi puts up a front of being stupid, when he really is quite clever and sneaky. Tell me, did that make sense?"

Saki remained quiet, head titled so that she faced the bookcase and not Izaya, nodding slightly, "Yes, I get it. You really thought about this, huh? You sure do pay a lot of attention to him. So, you want to break him because he's so interesting to sum it up?" Izaya nodded his head in affirmation, "Precisely."

Looking at Saki, Izaya narrowed his eyes to the slightest degree, asking a question in mock innocence, "Tell me, Saki. Have you, by chance, fallen in love with Masaomi?" Saki didn't give any sudden jolt or tense, she remained still, almost like a porcelain doll. All her emotions were shown through her thoughts that she attempted to keep hidden, away from Izaya's prying eyes, "Of course not. He's nice and all, yeah, but I haven't fallen in love with him. Don't be silly, Izaya."

_She's lying_. Was Izaya's instant thought, but he did not comment on it or bring it up again, he just said a cheerful, "Of course, how silly of me. You can't be in love with Masaomi. No, you don't know what love is. You're nothing more than a doll. My, I'm not in my right mind today, am I?" His words may seem malicious, but Saki didn't really mind. She was used to it after all. And, as she said, she was ready to give up her freedom for Izaya.

"Well, you may go. Contact me if he communicates with you any. I'll talk to him about you-know-what later today." Nodding her head in understanding, Saki rose from her spot on the floor, dusting herself off before walking off, taking the familiar twists and turns to the library door leading into the hallway, just as the bell rang, alerting all students that they were to report to their next class immediately.

Hidden well in the shadows of the library, a small transparent device was on the highest shelf of the bookcase where Saki and Izaya just were, mere moments ago, a light blue light flashing on and off. What was it? In due time, all shall find out…

_DuRaRaRa!_

As Masaomi was leaving the campus for the day, none other than Izaya was standing by the gate, tapping away on his phone, seemingly waiting for someone. The blonde didn't think much of it and continued to walk past the older male, only to be halted in his steps when said male grabbed onto his arm, holding him back from moving ahead any further, "How rude, walking past me like that. First, you stop coming to see me, now you're ignoring my existence? I thought we had something going too…Seems I was mistaken."

"I wasn't ignoring your existence, you just seemed busy and occupied, so I…" The blonde trailed off, not sounding in the least convincing, earning an eye roll from Izaya, who by now, released the blonde's arm in favor of shoving his hands in his pockets, "How convincing, Masaomi." Izaya paused, looking around before continuing, "You're not with Saki today? How strange. Did you two get in a fight or something?" Masaomi looked surprised that Izaya was asking about Saki, but soon regained his senses and shook his head, "No, we didn't get in a fight. She just has to stay back for something today."

"Oh? That so? You wouldn't mind hanging out with me today then, would you? The Orihara household has missed your presence, myself included." Masaomi thought it over, before nodding his head in agreement, "Sure, why not? I have to admit, I did kinda miss hanging out with you and the girls." Izaya grinned, "I knew you'd miss us, who wouldn't?" Masaomi held his tongue, thinking it unwise to start listing several people who wouldn't, in fact, miss them. Knowing Izaya, it may just turn into one big argument that Masaomi honestly wasn't it the mood for. "Anyways, let's get going now, shall we, Masaomi?" Izaya threw his arm over the blonde's shoulder and starting gently dragging him along, merely sending a glance towards the school where he knew Saki was watching.

The walk to the Orihara household was a short one that consisted of the two fooling around, Masaomi cracking jokes, Izaya flirting with the blonde, the usual to be precise. Once they stepped inside the house, Masaomi collapsed onto Izaya's couch with a content sigh, muttering something about how he was exhausted, only to earn a chuckle from Izaya who soon seated himself down beside the blonde, amused smile present on his face, "Mairu and Kururi aren't home? Normally by now, they'd have jumped on top of me."

Chuckling, Izaya shook his head and sat down sideways so that he was facing the blonde, moving his hand to run his fingers through golden locks, instantly noticing how the blonde tensed for a few seconds, only to soon relax to the calming touches that Izaya knew for a fact he enjoyed, "No, they should be arriving soon though. Ever since you stopped coming to visit every day, they would begin wandering around more often. If you'd prefer, I could notify them of your presence here and then have them come."

The blonde made a sound of rejection, glancing at Izaya from the corner of his eye, "No, leave them be. When they get home, I can surprise them. It's always more fun like that." Izaya nodded his head in understanding, "Alright, well, in the meantime, what would you like to do? Something fun I hope. I've been quite bored without you lately." Masaomi adverted his gaze to anywhere except Izaya, not exactly growing comfortable with the mischievous look that Izaya wore when looking at the blonde, it unnerved him to be perfectly honest. This had to be one of the things that Masaomi didn't miss about Izaya.

"I don't know really, what do you have in mind?" Masaomi asked, keeping his cool surprisingly well, Izaya was honestly impressed. It would seem as though Masaomi matured in the few weeks that they hadn't been near each other constantly. It honestly excited Izaya. There were new things to discover about the blonde after all. Did Masaomi have new quirks and habits now? Did he still have the same old quirks and habits? Izaya didn't know for certain, but he'd love to find out. "I asked you for a reason, Masaomi."

"Uhh, how about playing some video games? I haven't played in awhile and knowing you, you probably haven't either." Masaomi offered, his eyes trailing to the bookshelf on the side of the room containing all of the Orihara household's movies, video games, and some books. "You are correct in assuming that I haven't played any video games since…whenever you and I last played. I suppose it couldn't hurt to play a round with you. What do you have in mind this time? Mario Kart again?" The blonde flashed Izaya a grin, shaking his head, "Nah, no Mario Kart this time. I want something different. What do you have?" Izaya motioned towards the bookcase standing a few couple feet away from them, "Go on and check. Pick whatever. I don't honestly care what we play. As long as you're amused, I'm amused."

Masaomi didn't need to be told twice, he went rushing to the case, acting quite similar to a child on the morning of their birthday or Christmas even. Izaya soon came up behind him, hovering over Masaomi's shoulder and watching attentively as the blonde ran his finger over each binding, almost as if he was looking for a certain game. Izaya didn't pay much attention to the games, only his finger, every few seconds switching his gaze to the blonde's face. The blonde either didn't seem to notice or didn't seem to care, for he continued with his search, not saying a word of complaint, "Aha, you _do_ have it! Great! Come on Izaya, let's play!"

"Do I even get to know what game you chose? Or will I be forced to play without knowing?" Masaomi finally turned his head slightly to look at Izaya, seemingly startled upon realizing the mere proximity between the two of them, shuffling in the opposite direction slowly, "It's a surprise, so go on and sit! I'll get it set up! You can try guessing. It shouldn't be that hard to figure out for someone like _you_." Masaomi moved, while keeping the cover of the game covered of course, to the television and started setting everything up. Being over as much as he had made it so that he practically already knew how everything in this house worked without needing to ask questions. It was almost like a second home to him.

"What do you mean by, someone like me?" Masaomi waved him off, attention focused on the game and game console.

Once the game was ready and set up, Masaomi handed Izaya his controller and plopped down beside the older, looking excited and eager to play all in one expression, Izaya could not help but smile in amusement. When the loading screen did finally load, Izaya let out a slight groan of protest, "Really, Masaomi? You said you wanted a break from Mario Kart, yet you choose Super Mario Bros?"

"What? You said to choose whatever I wanted. Oh, and if I remember correctly, you also said that as long as I was amused, you were." Izaya frowned, picking Luigi as Masaomi spoke, "Sometimes I hate how attentive you are to me, Masa—"

"Hey, I wanna be Luigi!"

Izaya halted mid-sentence, looking thrown off by the sudden outburst. When Masaomi's words processed in Izaya's head, his lips curled up into a devilish smirk, shaking his head, "Too bad. Be Mario or one of those toads."

"No way! I don't want to be that fat Italian named Mario! Do you know how much of a womanizer he is? He has so many girlfriends and then when he gets tired of one, he tosses her to Luigi." Izaya raised a brow, not seeming to get his point, "And? Doesn't seem much different from you. Aren't you a womanizer as well?"

"Yeah, but you're missing the point!"

"Do inform me, what is this point you speak of."

"Let me repeat myself. _He has so many girlfriends._ There, now do you get my point?" Masaomi turned to look at Izaya, looking…Izaya honestly didn't even know how to express the blonde's expression in words. "I recall you saying something along the lines of, hail polygamy. So—"

"_He has so many girlfriends._" Masaomi repeated once again, causing Izaya to stare blankly at the blonde, before his mouth formed an 'o' to show he realized what the blonde was talking about, "Oh, I get it now. You're jealous of Mario because of all of his girlfriends. Correct?"

"For someone so smart, you're kinda dense." Izaya scoffed, but didn't interrupt the blonde who obviously had more to say, "Anyways, yes I'm jealous! How does someone so _low_ like him get _that_ many _women_?! It makes no sense!"

"Why do you care so much about how many women he has? I mean, you have something that he'll never get no matter how badly he wants it."

"What's that?"

"Me, of course." Izaya smirked, enjoying the fact on how the blonde looked surprised and flushed ever so slightly, before scoffing and crossing his arms, turning his attention back to the screen and choosing one of the toads to play as, "Who'd ever want _that_?"

"Aw, now you're just being mean."

"Shut it and play before I toss you off a cliff." Izaya chuckled but said no more, complying with the blonde's wishes.

It wasn't until an hour or so later, when they were about more than half-way done with the game when Izaya started a conversation again – or at least a conversation that didn't contain them fighting over mushrooms and the like. "Hey, Masaomi. You know that Valentine's Day is coming up, right? Do you have a Valentine?" Masaomi seemed to tense, no doubt wondering why everyone was suddenly asking him about this today. Shaking his head, he kept his eyes focused on the game, "No, why do you ask?"

"Oh, well I was just curious honestly. Saki had been going on and on about how she was hoping someone would ask her to be their Valentine this year. I had thought you would ask her. Do you not like her in that way?" Masaomi paused the game, setting his controller down and taking a swig of water from his water bottle, shrugging once noticing Izaya's expectant look, "I…I don't really know. I mean, I think I do, but then I'm not entirely sure. Besides, I'm sure she doesn't like me that way. She never showed any interest in me whatsoever. Whenever we'd get mistaken as a couple she'd downright reject the idea, so…"

"Be more confident in yourself," Izaya paused to set his own controller down, turning to face the blonde in his seat, "I honestly don't see why she _wouldn't_ like you. What's there _not_ to like? You are funny, smart, good-looking, and tons of fun to be around. Not to mention everything that I didn't list. I guess what I'm attempting to say is, don't give yourself less credit than you deserve. You're better than you think." Izaya said, resting his forehead against the blonde's before quickly pulled away and stealing the blonde's water bottle, downing the remaining contents in one big gulp.

Masaomi didn't say anything about the forehead touch or his stolen water, only asked his hesitant question, "Should I go through with asking her to be my Valentine?" Izaya frowned, an almost hurt look in his eyes that confused the blonde, but before he could even think again on it, the frown was gone, replaced with a reassuring smile, "If you'd like, yeah. I'll do whatever I can to aid you as well."

Grinning in glee, Masaomi nodded, thanking the male, "How should I ask her? Should I text her? Call her?" Izaya hummed thoughtfully, before shaking his head, "I personally believe that you should surprise her. The day of, you should present her with chocolates and flowers. What do you think? You did say that you liked the tactic of surprise better, did you not?"

"I did, yeah. Sounds like a plan to me! Do you know what her favorite chocolate is? Does she even like chocolate? What about flowers? She's not allergic to flowers is she?" Masaomi rambled on and on about this and that concerning Saki, he wanted everything to be _perfect_ after all. To be perfectly honest, it brought a frown to Izaya's face for reasons unknown to Izaya himself. It just…irked him for some reason. Don't ask, he wouldn't know. "Relax, Masaomi. I'm sure whatever you get, she'll love."

"Yeah, but I want to know what _Saki_ likes. If I actually want it to mean something to her then it has to be something she likes. Do you…Do you understand what I'm trying to say or am I just spouting gibberish? 'Cause to be honest, I don't even know what I'm saying and I'm the one saying it." Masaomi looked to be in distress, a damsel in distress if you were to ask Izaya. Oh, but don't tell Masaomi that, he surely wouldn't be too happy with that. Which, we all know would only egg Izaya on, feeling even more determined to annoy the poor blonde. "If you want everything to be so perfect, then ask her yourself. That's simple enough for you, is it not?" Izaya's words were filled with bitterness, whether or not it was true bitterness or one for show went unknown to the two, yes even Izaya. He…He had a difficult time figuring out what was what right now for some reason. To him, it felt as though he was in a completely different world. Izaya briskly stood up and walked to the kitchen, ignoring the blonde's curious and confused look, also was that worry flashing in those beautiful gold-brown eyes.

"Izaya? You okay? You seem a little…upset today. Was it something I did or said? Are you still upset about me choosing Super Mario Bros?" In result of Masaomi's last question, Izaya chuckled ever so slightly, shaking his head, "Forgive me if I worried you, I honestly do not know what came over me. I just suddenly needed to get up and leave. Rest assured, I'm not cross with you." Masaomi looked hesitant to believe Izaya, but nodded anyways, not wanting to do anything that may tick Izaya off again, "Anyways, back onto our previous topic, before I rushed away, again I apologize for that. You were asking about Saki's preferences, correct? If it really means that much to you, I'll ask her for you and see what I can get. Alright?" Masaomi remained silent, thinking it all over. Earlier, when Masaomi asked Izaya to do that, he seemed to start getting upset, thus Masaomi began to wonder if Izaya just didn't want to do it. He must have showed his hesitance to allow Izaya to do that for him, for Izaya rested his hand on his shoulder, giving a reassuring squeeze, "Relax, I'd be more than happy to do it for you. I offered, did I not?"

"…Thanks Izaya, all you're doing really means a lot to me. I owe you one."

"Don't mention it. Like I said, I'm happy to do things for you."

After their brisk awkward conversation, the two retreated back to the living room to play some more Super Mario Bros. The awkward tension soon dispersed and they were joking and everything like they normally do. Approximately half an hour later, Mairu and Kururi finally arrived home, out of breath. When Izaya and Masaomi were beginning to question the two, they were jumped upon, mouths covered, startling the two males who weren't suddenly expecting to get jumped. Before they could respond, an impatient knock was made at the front door, only earning the two girls to tense and send the two males a pleading look, whispering, "Please help us," before promptly hiding. As soon as they opened the door, they were met with cops who told the two males that they were looking for two females who stole one of their motorcycles and rammed it into a light pole. Izaya covered for the girls, saying that he had seen them run in the opposite direction from his window. Once the police were gone, Izaya gave them a stern look and grounded them, only to have the girls protest and cling to Masaomi. Afterwards—Okay, let's just cut it short by saying that Masaomi was capable of saving the two girls from being grounded for months on end with his charm.

_This has been one odd eventful evening…I missed this strangely enough._

_DuRaRaRa! ! _

The day known as Valentine's Day was upon them; Masaomi was pacing back and forth in his room, biting gently on his nail while Izaya was seated comfortably on his bed looking at the blonde in amusement, finding how Masaomi was so panicked hilarious. After all, it was interesting seeing someone who normally had so much confidence act this way. On the nightstand, beside the bed where Izaya currently lay, was a small heart-shaped box filled with small chocolates of all kinds along with a bouquet of red roses. These, of course, were for Saki. Saki, who Masaomi was to meet in front of her apartment, in exactly an hour from their current time. Why was Masaomi so panicked? Oh, only because he was starting to doubt himself. Having second thoughts on confessing his love to Saki, wondering whether or not it'd actually work for them or not. Finally getting tired of pacing back and forth, Masaomi collapsed onto his bed, the remaining space that Izaya didn't claim for himself. Honestly, sometimes Izaya reminded Masaomi of a cat, claiming things for themselves and doing as they please all the time. Izaya moved so that he loomed over the blonde, same amused smirk on his lips, almost teasing in a way, "What's wrong, Masaomi?"

"You and I both know that you know what is wrong. So why are you asking?" Masaomi sent an irate look towards the looming Izaya, not looking the least bit appreciative of him this very moment. "Well, excuse me for worrying about you and thinking that having you talk about it to me would help." Masaomi rolled his eyes, sending Izaya an apologetic smile, "Sorry Izaya, I'm just a bit stressed right now." Ignoring Izaya's comment that consisted of him saying, no shit, he continued, "I just…Don't know if I should confess to her or not. I mean, does she even like me? Do I really like her? You know what I'm trying to say? I just—I'm doubting myself right now and having second thoughts."

"I apologize, but I don't exactly know. Since I, myself, have never been in love before. At least not the type of love you're thinking of. I love all of humanity. But not in the way that I favor one and only that one. I do wish that I could be of more assistance. Unfortunately, all that I can do now is give you reassuring words, telling you that you'll do great and that only a fool would reject you." Masaomi blinked, before turning his attention somewhere else, releasing a sigh, "At least you're honest…"

"Just relax, Masaomi. Give your heart a chance. Even if she does reject you, what's done is done. If you need someone to help you over the heartbreak, I'm always here with open arms. Now, go. Before you're late. Punctuality is a key to success." Masaomi nodded his head in understanding, standing up and grabbing the gifts before heading out, running all the way over to Saki's apartment complex, having the fastest route there already memorized, from travelling there so much over the past few weeks.

Upon arriving, Masaomi exhaled a shaky breath, tentatively ringing the doorbell, nerves jumping up and down inside his body, gifts held in his hands awkwardly. He was not kept waiting long, soon Saki came out, looking curiously out, only to have a small smile form on her lips upon seeing Masaomi, only to have that smile fall upon spotting the chocolate and flowers. Masaomi did not seem to notice that, only cleared his throat and gathered his courage, knowing he'd need it, "H-Hey Saki, I just wanted to let you know that you stole my heart. Be my Valentine?" He hesitantly asked, extending the chocolate and flowers towards her, smiling sheepishly.

Saki's mouth fell open in shock, her eyes widening ever so slightly, she took the chocolate box and flowers in her hands, swallowing. Izaya's words rang through her head, telling her of what she had to do next; _You'll crush him… _Oh God knew how she wanted to do anything but that. Hardening her resolve, she rid of any emotion in her eyes, and dropped the flowers and chocolate on the floor, sending him one of her hateful glares, instantly regretting her actions upon seeing his startled and hurt look. Mentally apologizing to Masaomi in her head, she opened her mouth and voiced what she had practiced, "Be _your _Valentine? Really, Masaomi? That's a joke, right? I sure hope it is. I mean, who'd ever want to be _your_ Valentine? Certainly not me. We're only _friends_, Masaomi. Heck, I didn't even want to be friends in the first place, if it weren't for Izaya telling me too. He must have noticed that you liked me and wanted me to give you a chance. I don't exactly regret it, you're not half bad, but I'd never be in love with you. Not even if Izaya asked me too. You know, you kind of make me sick. With the way you flirt with anything that is female. I honestly don't understand how Izaya likes you so much." To make emphasis on her statement, she kicked the flowers and chocolate to the side, although, unknown to Masaomi, she was trying her most to not damage them.

Clenching his fist, Masaomi sent a hateful glare towards the floor, not capable of glaring at her, no matter how hard he tried too, he just couldn't. "Guess I was wrong. I wasn't in love with you. I was in love with the person you pretended to be. It's against my policy to be rude to girls, so I won't be too rude to you. I'll leave you with this though." Pausing momentarily to add more effect, he lifted his hateful gaze to look at Saki – though she could easily spot out the hurt in his eyes, "We're done being friends. I never should have helped you from those bullies back then. They were right about you." With that said, he started at a bolt, leaving her standing outside her front door, looking hopeless and regretful. Pulling out her phone, she dialed Izaya, having him pick up on the first ring. Bastard must have been expecting the call, "Hello! How'd it go, Saki?"

"…It's done."

"Great job! I knew you could do it! Well, I'll leave you to rest after this! I'm sure you must be exhausted. Bye, bye!"

Saki grabbed the flowers and chocolate, setting them down gently on her kitchen table, before falling to her knees and letting her tears stream past her cheeks freely. She was _done _holding them in. She was _done _holding her emotions in. She was _done_ with…With everything to be perfectly honest. Oh, she only wished she could have apologized to Masaomi. She wondered, if she ever would get the chance to.

"I'm sorry, Masaomi…"

_DuRaRaRa!_

He ran, and he ran, and he ran. Where was he running to? He honestly didn't even know. He didn't even know where he was going. All he knew was that he wanted to get as far away from Saki as possible. He could barely even see where he was going, the unshed tears in his eyes blurring his vision. Somehow, by instinct, he appeared in front of the Orihara household door, ringing the doorbell, head directed down. Soon, Izaya came opening the door, looking curious on who was ringing his doorbell on this fine Sunday, fully expecting everyone to be busy with their loved ones. Heck, even Mairu and Kururi were gone for the day, off to do…who even knows—Correction. Who even _wants _to know? "Masaomi…? What are you—" Before Izaya could finish speaking his sentence, Masaomi sniffled, tears dropping down onto the ground below, instantly catching Izaya's attention. Izaya stepped forward, wrapping the blonde in a hug and dragging him inside, petting the back of his head comfortingly, ignoring the sudden strange twinge of his heart.

Izaya maneuvered the two of them to the couch, sitting down and then pulling the younger down so that he sat sideways on his lap, ignoring how the blonde tried to get out of his grasp. Izaya didn't say anything, just continued the comforting touches to the blonde's hair. Masaomi had by then given up on trying to get out of Izaya's grasp, just rested his head on the male's shoulder, allowing the tears to flow as they pleased. Enjoying the comforting touches and silence that Izaya offered him.

Meanwhile, Izaya smirked in his spot – although it wasn't one of his usual smirks for some reason. He couldn't smirk that same old usual cruel way. No, he just smirked in smugness. If that even made sense. It was all rather confusing for Izaya. Although one thing was for sure. He was glad his plan was working out as he had expected.

_Just wait, Masaomi. This will be nothing compared to what awaits you. Let's see how well you hold up then…_

* * *

**And done! I honestly only knew what I wrote like half of the time, but whatever. Hope you enjoyed this at least a little? Again, apologies for the wait. Oh, and keep in mind that the next chapter very well may be the last. How exciting! Anyways, i'm hoping to have that chapter up by Saturday, if not Sunday, Let's see if I can accomplish that or not. Please review! **


	24. Chapter 24 - FINAL

**We've finally reached the finally of this story that I legit had no clue what I was doing about more than half of the time! Thank you to all of those who continued to stick with me throughout this story, no matter how long I took to update and no matter how many excuses I threw out. And another big thanks to those who reviewed whenever they had the chance. I loved hearing your feedback throughout this, it made my day every time. Without further ado, enjoy the final chapter and please do leave a review. I hope you enjoy it and it isn't too bad, hopefully up to your expectations.**

**Disclaimer: Nothing, absolutely nothing, mentioned in this story belongs to me. All rights go to the original creator.**

* * *

Chapter 24:

Checkmate.

The pain of the sudden heartbreak that was received from Saki was no more, even if those cliché events had occurred only just recently, a mere hour or so ago to be precisely exact, well sort of. Masaomi had remained seated by Izaya, none of them really doing much, just side-by-side with Izaya murmuring comforting words and tracing small circles on the back of the blonde's palm. And oddly enough, with just that, Masaomi got over the entire ordeal. The tears that he had begun to shed had long since ceased, not lasting very long, surprisingly. Hell, it didn't even last longer than a bloody five minutes! Maybe this wasn't so surprising. After all, a big part of Masaomi expected him to be anything but heartbroken if he was rejected. Hence making him question whether or not he was sincerely serious about being in love with Saki. There was a voice somewhere in his head that whispered; "_You're only getting over her so fast because of him…" _to him, but whether or not it was true remained a mystery to the blonde. Sure, Izaya was a big help, being here to comfort the blonde in his time of need, giving the blonde some words to help boost his confidence and all, but was the healing process being sped up _this_ much because of _him_? It seemed unlikely, but then again, what did Masaomi know? He was new to all this, believe it or not. He was never serious about someone, hell he _still_ didn't know if he was serious or not! He had no clue and or motivation whatsoever to figure it out that very moment.

By now, the blonde was over the entire thing and was more or less back to his usual bubbly self, but, of course, Izaya still kept him in place, beside said male. Thankfully, after the blonde had stopped and dried his – _manly_, he _swears_ – tears, Izaya was kind enough to allow the blonde off his lap – which felt more uncomfortable and awkward than he had imagined, not that he ever imagined sitting in Izaya's lap, now that would be just plain awkward. Instead, Izaya wrapped his arm around Masaomi's shoulder, making sure to bring said blonde in close, almost like a half-hug, before continuing to spout his comforting words. After awhile, Masaomi began to drift in and out of peaceful slumber, finding Izaya's oddly pleasant voice lulling him to sleep. Everything was calm and peaceful, almost like usual. All until Izaya said something that had both of them pausing for a second in surprise, each not knowing how to respond. It was more of a murmur actually, whether or not Izaya meant to say it out loud or for the blonde to hear it was completely unknown. All Masaomi _did _know was that he was unsure how to take it.

"You have _me_ and unlike _her_, I'd _never_ reject _you_." That _one_ simple sentence was what the both of them had been held captive by – surprise and shock, and not to mention confusion. At first, Izaya must have not realized that Masaomi heard or that he even said it aloud, for after a second or two, he tensed in his spot, quickly glancing over towards the blonde to confirm his beliefs. When they were, in fact, confirmed, he changed the direction that his eyes were focused on, remaining silent, which only added more fuel to the fire that was their awkward atmosphere. Neither of them honestly knew what they should say, or even if they should speak. At least, Masaomi didn't. Who knew about Izaya? This was, in fact, _Izaya_ that we were talking about. Mr. Unpredictable. Although, one thing was certain, the two of them each had their own thoughts racing through their head, thoughts quite similar or exactly, "_What did he mean by that?" _and _"Did I really just say that?"_ All in all, these two ridiculous dorks were lost and confused, both in some dire need of assistance.

And here that help was.

"We're home!" Two feminine voices chorused, startling the two males out of their stupor – causing one to groan in agony as well, cough Izaya cough. "Mairu, Kururi, you two are home rather early." Izaya spoke, causing the blonde seated beside him to jolt in surprise, bravely sparing the male a glance, amazed to see Izaya back to his usual self. This, in this case, was looking mighty annoyed and disgusted at the appearance of his twin sisters. Again, the usual. "Yeah, well we got bored of ruining people's day today, their reactions started getting boring. Therefore we decided to come home! Seems as though we should have waited a little longer though because you two were about to get to _it_! How far were you planning on going, eh? Which style—" Kururi promptly slapped her hand onto Mairu's mouth, preventing any more sounds from being emitted, having had enough of this nonsense. Not that Mairu didn't still try; she sure as hell did, only to succeed in making dozens upon dozens of indecipherable words and getting her saliva on Kururi's hand, much to her disgust.

Meanwhile, Masaomi was sitting, head tilted to the side much like a cat would do when inspecting something, trying to figure out just what the bloody hell Mairu was trying to hint towards. No matter how hard the gears in his brain worked, he couldn't figure it out. He blamed it on his sleepiness. Mainly because he didn't want to admit that Izaya was able to figure it out while he wasn't. _What can't he do_? Izaya, who was making a disgusted, offended, and unimpressed look, shook his head in disapproval, "Mairu, are your glasses failing you? Is it about time we take you in for another eye exam? Or are you just mentally screwed up? We weren't about to do _that_, you _idiots_. Oh, forgive me, I misspoke. What I meant to say was, you _idiot_. Kururi is actually more bearable compared to you. Anyways, back to the matter at hand. I was not about to do anything of the sort that you heartlessly accuse me of. Unless Masaomi asked me to of course…" Masaomi spluttered, for it had finally clicked. Not that the Orihara siblings really noticed, too busy in their own heated discussion, or would you consider it an argument?

"I'm offended! How can you say that to such a beautiful awesome lady such as myself—"

"Beautiful awesome lady? I see no such thing. Unless, this lady is Kururi that you speak of. Well, for the most part at least." Izaya interrupted Mairu with another insult to both her and her pride, only to result in creating an even bigger fuming mess, "No need to get so mad at me, Izaya—"

"On the contrary. I'm not mad whatsoever. It is you who is mad."

"Shut up! It's not my fault that you don't want to admit that you were giving Masaomi the _bedroom_ eyes and were thinking of dozens upon dozens of indescribable and immoral things to do to him! I bet you have so many kink that you want to try out on him and, and—" Kururi slapped her hand over Mairu's mouth once again, blank stare never changing, except for the slight twinge of annoyance gracing her beautiful features. Her siblings honestly did that to her. Made the ever calm Kururi get annoyed.

"The bedroom eyes?" Hollering in laughter, Izaya threw back his head, finding the entire situation to be comedy gold, much to Mairu's increased annoyance. "Why you little—" Mairu attempted to say, only to have it muffled and sound something akin to—no one actually honestly even knew. It sounded like some weird magic spell or something. Maybe she was trying to summon Satan to kick Izaya's ass? Who really knew? It certainly wouldn't be the first time, but that is a story for a much later date.

By now, Masaomi had long since recovered from his odd chocking fit and immediately maneuvered over to the two arguing teens, – gosh, he swore the two of them were the most immature and ridiculous of them all – giving them both a good smacking upside the head. He had enough of their arguing which consisted of, "At least I don't have a - kink!" and "I'd rather have that then have a - kink!" All of these which somehow involved him, much to his utter annoyance and embarrassment, "I don't care _what_ kinks you two have, but keep me out of it and go argue somewhere else!"

"…Yes sir…"

And that is the story of how Masaomi got over his rejection, being around the Orihara family sure worked its wonder. They always somehow managed to get to you to forget about your troubles and worries. Through arguments, but hey, at least it worked. As the three of them got into yet another argument, Kururi sat herself down and pulled out a manga, having had enough. Ahh, Masaomi really _did_ fit in with the family….

_DuRaRaRa!_

The Monday following the day known as Valentine's Day, everyone returned to school, anything but eager to attend the place quite worse than hell itself. Pardon my error, much worse. To be honest, not _everyone_ actually returned to school. There were some who had managed to get chocolate high apparently, having consumed _way_ too much of the deliciousness the day prior and in result, staying home sick, doing nothing much except for eating even _more _of the chocolate when that was in fact what they were getting sick from. Those bloody _idiots_. Meanwhile, both Masaomi and Saki tried their upmost hardest to avoid each other for the entire day for…certain reasons that neither of them would rather explain. Hell, they even avoided each other for the entire week and no doubts weeks afterwards. In that time though, Masaomi and Izaya grew noticeably closer to each other, not necessarily surprising anyone. Of course, there were people who continued to find it unnerving how Izaya constantly attempted to grow closer to the blonde before and currently. In result to their suspicions that grew constantly, some decided to investigate the matter in any way that they possibly could.

It wasn't until about two to three weeks later when someone finally decided to properly step in and save the blonde from Izaya's evil clutches before things got too bad and Masaomi was forever hurt. Well, actually that _someone_ was still conflicted on whether or not they should help. They wanted to, having become pretty good friends with the blonde, but then again they could really careless about other's problems. In the cafeteria, seated at a table in a more secluded area of the huge room were six of the students that attended Raira, these students were even friends with Masaomi and acquaintances with Izaya – no one wanted to say that they were friends with Izaya for certain obvious reasons. Those six people happened to be Heiwajima Shizuo, Kamichika Rio, Yagiri Seiji, Kuronuma Aoba, Neko, and Ryugamine Mikado. These were six out of the seven of the people who wanted to help Masaomi realize that Izaya was just using him. Note that I said six out of seven. Who was this other person whom wasn't mentioned sitting at the table? Why, Harima Mika of course! Where was Mika currently? Retrieving Saki, duh. So technically, that made it eight people who would be helping the blonde in any way they could.

"Sorry we're late! There were a few…difficulties in arriving here." Mika giggled as she and Saki sat down, obviously hiding some sort of detail in relation as to why their arrival took so long. For those curious, let's just say the reasons behind their tardiness was because the wild goose decided to run instead of surrender. "Now then, let's start mission Help Save Masaomi From Izaya's Evil Clutches! Otherwise known as mission HSMFIEC! ...Damn! I was hoping it would make some cool word like in those movies…" Mika babbled, only to get dragged back into reality by Seiji, "Sorry about that! Okay, let's begin for real now! Let the interrogation begin! Saki dear, tell us all you know about Izaya's plan, won't you?"

"Plan? What are you talking about? Izaya doesn't have a plan. What are you guys even talking about? What is this mission about helping Masaomi about? What are you trying to save him from—"

"Don't even bother, Saki. We know that you know it all and were involved in Izaya's big plan. There's no use in trying to hide it. Now, either you willingly give us the information we want. Or we force it out of you in ways that you won't like. Trust me." No one had ever been quite afraid of Mika as they currently were; she never really showed this side of her. Only on rare occasions. No one doubted that she wouldn't go through with her threats either, hence Saki slowly gave in to their demands, "…How did you figure it out?"

"So glad you asked! I used these bad boys to learn all about this plan!" Mika happily pulled out some small clear cameras that had a light flashing on and off to signal that they were on and recording, "You see, I've had this gnawing suspicion about you two and Masaomi, so I decided to put these boys to use and figure it out. Then what do I find? Something about your big plan and how you guys want to hurt Masaomi or whatever. You see, I don't really care for him too much but I have a friend named Anri who is pretty good friends with him. She'd probably be sad if he got hurt, so bam-bam! Here I am to help! Besides, Seiji said he was friends with Masaomi too so I must help if Seiji asks me to! What type of girlfriend would I be otherwise?" Saki frowned, but didn't comment on anything else, only redirecting her eyes back down to her lap. "If you learned about it from those, then why am I here?"

"Silly question, Saki! You should know! You're smart after all! Why has Izaya kept you around this long for otherwise? But since I'm as kind as I am, I shall explain! We didn't learn _everything_ that we wanted through that one conversation, therefore we want the one person who no doubts knows all about it to tell us. Depending on what you say will determine our next move. Oh, we also may need you to help us!" Saki looked up at her, eyebrow raised as her curiosity grew, "Need my help? For what?"

"Ah-ah! I'm asking the questions here! Don't worry about it for now, you'll learn later on. For now, just tell us all about the plan! Make it quick, we don't have all the time in the world! Who knows when Izaya and Masaomi will come to the cafeteria, hence we need to act quickly! It wouldn't be good if Izaya saw you with us either, would it?" Saki glanced behind her, no doubt searching for any sign of Izaya, before lifting her head and looking at everyone respectively before nodding her head in agreement and understanding, "Alright, I'll tell you everything I know, but first, tell me why you all want to help him. I know why you want to help, Mika, but not the others. How do I know that you guys aren't just planning on using him instead?"

Everyone widened their eyes in surprise, fully not expecting that question to be asked, and especially not expecting her apparent worry for the blonde, "…Saki, we'll answer your questions, but would you mind answering this one question for us first?" Without waiting for Saki to answer, Mika continued on, not even needing to discuss this with her peers, they all, no doubt, were curious, "How exactly do you feel about Masaomi? You seem far too concerned for his safety for someone who helped use him and just recently broke his heart." Stiffening in her spot, Saki looked back down to her lap, feeling the gnawing guilt rush back, "So, you knew about that too, huh? Did Masaomi tell you guys?"

"No, we heard about that part of the plan through my camera footage and sound. Then we noticed how you two seemed to be avoiding each other and put two and two together." Saki nodded her head to show she understood, before taking a deep breath, gathering her courage in the process, "You see, it may not seem like it, but I love Masaomi. More than I expected. At first, it was supposed to be fake, but then after getting to know him more and seeing how kind he was, almost like my own little knight in shining armor, even going as far as saving me from bullies when he just met me, I knew that I fell in love for real. I owe Izaya a lot though, so I had to go through with the plan, no matter how I felt. Therefore, I hurt Masaomi, just like I was supposed to. It's been days since then, but it still hurts me and I regret it so much. I still regret every word that I said that day. I regret how I never got the chance to tell him how I really felt, before I hurt him like this. I had so many chances, but I could never go through with them. You should see how he looks at me now. He looks at me with so much hurt in his eyes. He looks betrayed and—and knowing that I was the cause of that tears me apart…"

No one commented, no one really knew how to. No matter what they did they found themselves believing what Saki said. She looked too sincere to be lying. Of course she was a good actor, she was with Izaya almost all the time and no doubt learned from him, but she still looked honest. Also, how could they not believe her with the way she spoke of Masaomi? She _had_ to be telling the truth.

"…Prove it." Everyone turned to look at Mikado who had spoke, Mikado who had a frown on his face and looked far more serious than he usually was, "If you really do love Masaomi like you say you do, then prove it to us. Help us prove to him that Izaya is just using him. Help us save Masaomi before it's too late and he learns to never trust again. You see, if we don't, Masaomi will continue to be naïve and trust Izaya, when we all know that you can _never_ trust Izaya." The other six at the table nodded their heads in agreement to what Mikado said, looking over towards Saki expectantly, whom looked conflicted. "…I—I want to help, I really do, but I can't or else Izaya will get mad at me. I'll tell you everything I know about what he has planned though. I hope that that is enough."

When everyone seemed to agree with Saki, they started answering her original question; why they wanted to help Masaomi. The first to speak was Mikado, who didn't even hesitate or need to take a minute to think about his answer, "To answer your earlier question, I want to help Masaomi because he's my best friend and he's always been there for me. I want to return the favor and help him. There's nothing really more to it." Aoba spoke after Mikado, "I'd like to help him too because he's become a pretty good friend to me. Besides, I'm sick and tired of that damn hyena having his way with everyone." _Plus, I may or may not have a small, really, really, really tiny, crush on him…Not that I'd ever admit that aloud. _"I'm in the same boat as Aoba, nya. That damn Izaya needs to leave our friend alone!" Neko had added, as soon as Aoba went quiet. Once Neko finished, Seiji piped in his own reasons, "Like Mika had said earlier, he and I became slight friends, and he even went as far as trying to help my sister with whatever crazy scheme she had up her sleeve back then. Therefore, I wanted to help. Plus, Mika wanted to help too." Mika took this time to squeal and wrap herself around Seiji's arm, yelling something about how he was such a man and a sweetheart, "I'd like to help Masaomi because he tried to help me get back at Izaya after what he did to me. He helped me and now I want to help him. Must I say anymore?" Rio responded, crossing her arms and changing the direction of her eyes, not too comfortable talking to Saki, since she worked for Izaya, the man she hated. Speaking of people who hated Izaya, Shizuo, the last person who wanted to help Masaomi decided to give his answer, no matter how troublesome it was, "I'm helping the kid because like Aoba and Neko, I'm tired of seeing that stupid flea get his way. I want to wipe that stupid smug look off his damn face. And hey, the kid isn't too bad. He's able to land a good hit on Izaya. Who wouldn't want to help a kid like that?"

Laughing a bit at Shizuo's response, Saki nodded, smiling ever so slightly, "Masaomi sure is popular, I told him he would be. Anyways, now I'll tell you about Izaya's plan." Everyone shifted in their spot, leaning in slightly, paying extra close attention to what Saki said now, "You see, ever since Izaya first met Masaomi, he said that this feeling coursed through him. This feeling of wanting to destroy him, shatter him into a tiny million little pieces. Izaya said that after getting to learn a little bit more about Masaomi, he learned that Masaomi wasn't as predictable as he thought and he wasn't as dumb as he pegged to be. He said that Masaomi was cunning and an interesting human. Izaya said that he'd love to see Masaomi hurt. Ever since then, he devised a plan to break Masaomi's heart. There were many plans he had, but Masaomi always unconsciously destroyed those with his actions, angering Izaya beyond belief. You should have seen Izaya; he was so angry that he was destroying things left and right, muttering things that I couldn't decipher. He started acting really weird and not himself. It worried me actually. Then he tried this silly cliché plan and it started working. Everything was going as planned and he seemed to be acting himself more and more. There are still times where I see him acting weird. He would go really quiet and talk to himself. I don't know what he really is talking about since he only mutters certain parts aloud." Saki stopped talking after that, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.

"And? What is his next step in this plan of his?" Mikado questioned, starting to get uncharacteristically impatient, "Huh? Oh, well the first step was to become trustworthy friends, the next two steps were to get Masaomi to fall in love with me and then have me break his heart in a rejection. The next step would have to be getting Masaomi to fall in love with Izaya. After that, Izaya planned on breaking Masaomi's heart. Before Izaya did do that though, he wanted to make Masaomi fall completely and helplessly in love with him. That way this heartbreak would be more painful than the one with me." They all nodded, Mika speaking up again, "So all we have to do is somehow prevent Masaomi from falling in completely and helplessly in love with Izaya, right? Sounds easy! Why don't we just go up to Masaomi and explain this all to him? We have the footage of when Izaya talked to Saki about the plan, that should work, right?"

"It would work if he believed you. He may not, since Izaya already has him wrapped snugly around his finger." Saki responded, cautiously looking behind her to make sure that Izaya hadn't arrived yet, "Oh, don't be so negative! Trust me, we can do this! All you gotta do is believe in yourself! We will save Masaomi, even if it's the last thing we do. Isn't that right, everyone?"

"That's right!"

Saki could feel her eyes tear up, seeing them all determined to help Masaomi. It made her want to help more too, but she knew she couldn't. She could only sit back, watch, and hope for the best. Her job as the supporting role was now over. Izaya would no longer come to her; he had the rest of this taken care of. She just made one last wish that they all could get to Masaomi before it was too late…

_Durarara!_

Days, a couple of weeks even, had passed before anyone really did anything to help Masaomi. No doubt, in that time, both Masaomi and Izaya grew alarmingly closer, they all just hoped not _too_ close that would cause Masaomi to have some doubts about whether or not the information they fed him was true. But at long last, today was the day, the day that they would Masaomi _everything_. That day, they would finally tell Masaomi about Izaya's real plan. Of course, as fate would have it, everyone except Mika ended up having important things to attend today. It was the type of important where no matter what you did; you could not get out of it. As an example, after school detention, – cough Shizuo cough – tutoring, working, etcetera. Mika honestly hated how she was the only one free that day. Just proves to show that she really has no life, just like everyone says. Now, don't get her wrong, she wants to help, but she never was the most convincing of people, thus… But did _that _waver her determination? …A little bit, but she would still go through with her plan, honest!

Following close behind the blonde whom was heading home for the day – and not to mention the reason behind all of her troubles that day – and chatting away happily with Izaya, she went over her lines and plan inside her head. Silly yes, but necessary if she wanted successful results. For now, all she needed to accomplish was somehow pulling Masaomi away from Izaya, or else she feared that Izaya will interfere and say something that will somehow end up swaying the blonde to believe him and not her, "Hey Masaomi! Would you mind if I borrowed you for a sec? I kinda sorta need your help with something." Pausing in his tracks, said blonde turned to look over at Mika, curiosity burning in his eyes, "I don't mind, what do you need help with, Mika? Did you and Seiji get into a fight and need the great Kida Masaomi to get you two back together? Ahh, such heartbreak!" Masaomi dramatically spoke, doing odd hand movements, even having the guts to _wink_ at _her. _Did he not get that she was taken and that his…whatever it was, didn't work on her?!

"A-A fight?! No, never! My beloved Seiji and I love each other way too much to get mad at each other! And if he by chance _did_ get mad at lil' ol' me, then he'd no doubt release his frustration through sexual means!" She giggled mischievously at the end, before feeling the urge to smack herself—correction, before feeling the urge to smack herself _hard._ She couldn't believe that she was so easily getting pulled away from her script, but at least with this, she wouldn't act like a complete fool in trying to get Masaomi away from the older male. "Geez, I still can't believe you would say such a thing…Anyways, I need your help with Anri—"

"Oh, what's this? Mika, I never knew you swung that way – no hate by the way. I just can't believe it! All that talk about how you and Seiji loved each other a lot, was it just a lie? I may just have to tell him about this. I hope he isn't too heartbroken. Poor guy…" Masaomi jokingly teased, a extremely noticeable grin appearing on his lips. "W-What?! No, that's not it! I would never betray Seiji like that! I love him too much!" Masaomi barked with laughter, finding her reaction hilarious, much to her annoyance. After all, she was completely serious about her love for Seiji. How dare Masaomi make light of her feelings. She loved Seiji so, so, so much and would _never_ cheat on him, no matter who the other person was or whatever and—and now she was getting off track. Damn that Masaomi and his success in distracting her from her goal…

"Ugh, you don't understand my love for Seiji! Just come along would you! The quicker you help me, the faster I can get back to my beloved Seiji and see less of your hideous and annoying face!" Laughing again, he nodded, putting his hands up in the air to show that he surrendered and would stop teasing her. Bidding Izaya goodbye, he followed Mika, humming some song that Mika couldn't place her finger on, not even sure if she had ever heard it before, "Alright, so what did you need my assistance with, mademoiselle? It must be something especially important and private if you dragged me all the way back behind the gymnasium." As an afterthought, he hastily added, "Wait, this isn't like in that game, Yandere Simulator, where you lure me somewhere where others don't venture too often and then kill me, burning my body in the heater thing, is it?! Please no, have mercy, I'm too young and beautiful to die and I swear I'm not a love rival!"

Blinking in what could only be described as utter confusion, Mika looked at him as though he belonged in an Asylum, "…What?"

"Yandere Simulator? Never heard of it? It's a pretty cool game that I tried out recently. I totally recommend you try it. It seems like your sort of game. Oh, but it's not one-hundred percent complete yet, but it's cool so far." Mika looked even more confused – if possible – but made a mental note to look this supposed game up later in order to figure out just what the bloody hell this kid – they're the same age but she didn't really care – was going on about, "R-Right, anyways. I actually sorta lied to you earlier. I don't need to talk to you about Anri, that was just to get you to come with me without _him_ interfering. Sorry about that…"

"Without _him_ interfering…you mean Izaya? Why would he interfere? What did you really call me over for then if not to talk about Anri and your undying love for her?" He winked, leaning back against the gymnasium wall. Of course, his fooling around aside, he was curious, considering how he didn't really comprehend what she meant by all this. Nodding her head to indicate that she was indeed talking about Izaya and ignoring the Anri comment to the best of her abilities, she began getting straight to the point, "Well, you see…Certain information was brought to my, and a few others', attention that we believed you had a right to know about as soon as possible, before it was too late." Masaomi frowned, confusion increasing by the second, "Certain information…? Before it's too late…? What are you talking about?"

"…It's about Izaya."

"About Izaya? What happened? What did he do this time?" Note that he said 'this time,' since this really wasn't the first time someone had a problem with Izaya and decided to talk to Masaomi about it. Strange enough…

Mika thought, thought harder, and thought even harder, but to no avail, did she come up with any other way to tell Masaomi about Izaya than to just be blunt, which she honestly did not want to be, "Ahh, I'm not good at these things! Why, why out of _all_ the possible days did they have to be busy _today_? I bet you they just lied about that to get _me_ to tell _you_ instead! The wimps!" To say he was confused, was a huge understatement. Mika…She, he didn't even know, she just wasn't making any sense right then and there, "These things…? They…? Mika, what on Earth…?"

"And then _you_ have to be so dense and clueless, don't you?! This is too much for me to handle!"

"Mika—"

"Shut it, Masaomi! I'm trying to think here! So not a peep out of you!" She pointed an accusing finger at him, successfully accomplishing nothing but cause more confusion for the poor blonde. Pacing back and forth, Mika pulled at her shoulder-length brown hair in frustration, "You know what?! Screw it! I'm just going to flat out tell you! Izaya is just using you! He doesn't really care or love you like how he says he does. He just wants to break your heart again! The whole thing with Saki, do you remember that?" When he tensed in his spot, she knew that he knew what she was talking about, "Yeah, well he manipulated Saki into breaking your heart all because of this big plan he had! Saki, trust me, Saki feels _terrible_ about the whole thing, she didn't want to, but how could she defy Izaya? Come on, Masaomi, you have to believe us! He's trying to manipulate you too!"

He remained silent, not knowing what to say or how to respond to what she just said. Hell, he didn't know if he should even believe the entire thing! This… it was just all too sudden. Millions upon millions of different thoughts and questions went racing through his head. He couldn't find a reason as to why Mika and whoever these other people were would lie to him about such a thing. Why would _Izaya_ lie to him about all of this? Lately, after the whole Saki fiasco, Izaya had been saying that he was precious to the male and stuff quite similar. Masaomi sincerely thought that Izaya loved him and that he loved him, but now he was being told that he was just being used this whole damn time? What the hell was he supposed to do?! He felt so conflicted; hell he bet he _looked _conflicted! He just—he didn't know, okay? "Who told you this? Saki? Does she really feel guilty about it all? Was she really forced to do that? Is this really all Izaya's doing? Is he really just using me? How do you know this? I…I need proof. I mean, I can see him doing it, this is Izaya we're talking about, but he…he seemed sincere and…"

Mika looked at the conflicted blonde sympathetically; she could tell that he was uncertain about all of this merely based on how he acted. It honestly pained her to see him like this, "…She told us part of it, after we asked her to tell us, but we found out through other methods. She really does feel terrible, Masaomi. Izaya really did plan this all and wants to use you. I have a video of him and Saki talking about it that I can show you, here look…" Pulling out her phone where she had transferred the video to, she pressed play once Masaomi leaned in close to hear and watch properly, biting on his bottom lip in apprehension. Once the video had come to an end, he didn't say anything, just looked stubbornly at the ground, almost like a child. Soon, he crouched down and yanked on his golden locks in frustration, gritting his teeth and cursing, "He…The bastard…did he really just say all that and do all that to use me?! He tricked me twice?! Why—Why?!"

Noticeably flinching, Mika didn't expect him to start raising his voice, but she honestly didn't blame him. She would probably act the same way if she learned that someone she thought she could trust was just using her for their own twisted enjoyment, "S-Saki said that he said it was because he found you amusing! You went against his expectations and that made him want to destroy you or something! I don't really know! You'd have to ask him! A-Anyways, do you believe me and the others or…?"

"…I believe you yes, but a part of me—Okay, I admit a big part of me doesn't want to believe it. I want to believe that this is just a joke he set you guys up for, but considering your reaction, I… I'm going to confront him about it. I need to know for sure. Thanks Mika, I owe you and everyone else one for trying to help me out. Tell everyone that I said thanks. Oh and tell Saki," He paused, whether it was for effect or he was sincerely thinking went unknown, "Tell Saki that she and I really need to work to fix that flaw of hers." With that said, Masaomi went racing in the direction of the Orihara household, this sudden rage coursing through his veins and demanding to be use and released. He sincerely wished that this was all a joke though. Surely—surely all of Izaya's loving words and actions couldn't have been fake, right? They had to mean something, right? He wasn't being completely used, right? Right?!

Being in love with the biggest douche bag known to existence sure sucked...

_DuRaRaRa!_

The good thing about being over at the Orihara household a majority of the time had to be that Masaomi ended up learning where all the spare keys were. Therefore, as soon as he arrived, he grabbed one of the spare keys from its hiding spot, unlocked the house, and burst in, not even bothering to lock the door, just slamming it shut. Almost as if Izaya expected the entire thing and was prepared, he was seated there at the couch, casually tapping away on his phone, merely glancing up at the angry blonde who just strode in, acting as though he owned the place which, believe it or not, it sure started to seem like it with how much he came over and how much freedom and power he had over them when over. "You could have opened and shut the door like a normal person, instead of slamming it open and closed, Masaomi. I'm starting to think that you have been hanging out with dear Shizu-chan too much, you're beginning to pick up his habits—"

"Shut up, Izaya. You're smart, so you must know why I'm here and upset. Enough with the jokes, let's just get straight to the point."

Izaya went silent, gently placing his phone down onto the coffee table in front of him, placing his feet atop the surface soon afterwards and propping his arms up behind his head in a lazy manner, giving the blonde all of his attention, "I'm guessing the chat you and Mika had went well, then? I figured her and the others would do this sometime soon. Looks as though my calculations were correct once again. Did they really think I wouldn't realize their plans? Saki was in their group, was she not? I would have expected her of all people to expect me to realize right away. Maybe I gave her too much credit after all…"

Masaomi remained where he stood a few feet away from the coffee table, head directed down towards the tiled floor, fists clenched beside him, shaking if you looked close enough, albeit he didn't doubt that Izaya noticed, "…Is what she said true?"

"Depends, what did she say?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Izaya. You and I both know that you know what she told me." Izaya allowed a sigh to escape his lips, setting his feet back down onto the ground and motioning the blonde over with his hands, patting the seat on the couch beside him, "Come and sit, Masaomi. Let's calm down first, yeah? You're uncooperative when you're all riled up. If you want answers, you need to be cooperative." Biting onto his bottom lip, Masaomi hesitantly complied with Izaya's wishes, sitting down on the far side of the couch where Izaya sat, "There, I sat. Happy? Now answer my questions." Izaya looked anything but impressed with the blonde's actions; he even looked a little offended when the blonde sat so far away from him, avoiding him like the plague.

"Gladly, now what are you questions, my dear beloved Masaomi?" There Izaya goes again; acting innocent and speaking to Masaomi in that same fond, adoring tone that had Masaomi in such a conflict with himself in the first place. Even though, Masaomi ignored the tone of voice and continued with his interrogation, wanting—no _needing_ to know the answer at all costs, "Is what Mika said true?" Masaomi confidently raised his head, looking Izaya straight in the eyes to show the older that he was serious and wanted the truth and nothing but the truth. "Again, it depends. What did she say?"

"She told me that this whole entire time, you were tricking me. Only using me for your own twisted enjoyment. She said that you only wanted to break me. To give me a false sense of hope and then shatter it into a million tiny little pieces."

"And? Did you believe her?"

Masaomi kept his gaze on Izaya, trying to figure out just what the male was thinking inside that head of his, only to fail and look away, giving a small shrug of his shoulders, "I don't see why she would lie to me, but there's a part of me that hopes that isn't true. There's a part of me that hopes you aren't that shallow. A part of me hopes that I was right all along and you aren't as bad as everyone says…" Masaomi paused, before looking back at Izaya, "You know, Saki told me something once before our relationship got awkward and took a turn for the worst. She had told me that your information is always correct, no matter what. So, tell me, do you, Orihara Izaya, actually love me like you say or were you just tricking me this entire time?" The blonde gulped in sheer nervousness and anticipation, Izaya must have noticed for his lips curved up into a tiny smirk, barely noticeable. He leaned in and said…

"I love you…Is what you wish for me to say, right? Pity."

In that moment, different emotions exploded inside of Masaomi. Anger. Regret. Sadness. Heartbroken. Disappointment. He felt disappointment the most. What did he feel disappointed in? Both himself and Izaya. He was disappointed that his hunch was wrong, that Izaya wasn't better than what everyone said, like he thought. He was disappointed in Izaya for acting so shallow and heartless, for— just being Izaya really. The anger at being tricked burst forth, taking control of all the other emotions, causing Masaomi to lose his temper. Rushing to stand up, Masaomi lunged for Izaya, tightening his fists on the collar of his shirt, "You—You—"

"'You—You—'I what?" Izaya mockingly repeated, allowing the smirk to properly appear on his face, Masaomi was beginning to react just the way he expected. He knew that Masaomi would be angry. He wanted to laugh so badly right now. Oh, looks as though he did. He allowed himself to laugh uncontrollably, only succeeding in adding fuel to the fire that was Masaomi's anger, "You really were tricking me like they said, huh?"

"I honestly can't believe you didn't figure it out beforehand, Masaomi. I bet you never would have figured it out if they hadn't told you."

"…Did Mairu and Kururi know?"

"Nope, but I'm sure they had a feeling. Why else would their big brother act that way with someone, hm?"

Clenching his teeth and tightening his hold on Izaya, he glared with so much hatred in his eyes, "What was all that crap about then?! All those times when you would tell me that I was your precious Masaomi! All those times you had me hold hands with you, hug you, and even kiss you! Where you just fooling me and messing with my emotions then too?!" Izaya laughed, "Of course I was! You should know Masaomi; I love _all_ humans, not one in particular. You are no exception to that. My entire goal was to break you, leave you heartbroken and enraged. Oh, and look. It seems to be working! I can't believe you were so gullible! It's disappointing and sad honestly. Don't tell me you actually believed that I loved you?" Upon hearing no response from Masaomi, Izaya laughed again, "You did, didn't you? Oh, what a laugh!"

"…Sure, I may have actually thought that. I may be angry and heartbroken, but most of all, I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed in you and me. I'm disappointed that you were as bad and terrible as everyone said you were and I'm disappointed in myself for actually believing and hoping that you were better than what was said. I was hoping to prove everyone wrong. To prove to them that you weren't as heartless and insane as everyone said. It seems though, that I was wrong. You are the most heartless crazy person that I know. And I admit, I'm ashamed for falling in love with you. You don't deserve it. No wonder everyone hates you so much, even your own family." Without saying anymore or even giving Izaya a single glance, Masaomi went running out the door, not bothering to even close it, leaving it wide-open and running next door and straight to his room, not even bothering to explain to the just arriving Mikado what happened.

Falling in love with Izaya truly did suck more than anything else…

_DuRaRaRa!_

After the truth about Izaya's action came into the light, Masaomi avoided Izaya at all costs, much like he did with Saki beforehand. Whenever they did meet though, as they did often considering their schedules, Masaomi would give him the cold shoulder, giving him a glare that had everyone else on edge and merely had Izaya entertained beyond belief. In that time, Masaomi and Saki made up, Saki apologizing for her actions, Masaomi reassuring her that it wasn't her fault. All in all, they ended up agreeing to pretend that the entire ordeal never even happened and started hanging out again like before. Mika ended up showing Masaomi who the group was and he thanked them all properly, telling them that he appreciated all their help. He and the group ended up becoming even greater friends now with Izaya out of the picture. But he didn't become such great friends with just Shizuo, Rio, Seiji, Aoba, Neko, Mikado, Saki and Mika – he had already been pretty good friends with Mikado, Aoba, and Saki beforehand, but details, details, who needs them? For some odd reason, with Izaya gone, Masaomi managed to become friends with just about everybody now. He became great friends with Rokujo Chikage, – better known as Rocchi, to the ladies at least – Kadota and his gang, Vorona, and many others. Whether it was just because he was seeking distractions to keep his mind off Izaya was unknown even to Masaomi himself.

Not too long after what had happened, Masaomi had gotten over his anger and disappointment, finding he acted the same as he usually would, just without Izaya constantly there by his side – although he was still pissed at Izaya, but just began to ignore the male in general instead. Believe it or not, without Izaya, Masaomi actually had tons of more fun. I mean, Rocchi had taken him along on a motorcycle ride that had his blood pumping. After all, it wasn't everyday that you were _chased by the cops_ for going way past the speed limit. Or like that one time where he and Rocchi went jumping off a building. He was _terrified, _but that only made the experience that much more enjoyable. He honestly thought that he was going to _die_, but he had fun and believe it or not, would like to try it again. And that was just _two _of the many adventures he had lately. Don't get him started, or else he'll go into a crazy ramble telling you his bizarre story.

Even though he had tons of fun with everyone, – especially Rocchi, that guy knew how to have _fun_ – he still found himself missing Izaya's company. Sure, he and Izaya never went on crazy little adventures like jumping off of roofs, getting chased by cops, having flirting competitions, etcetera, but he still had fun with him. That did nothing but disappoint him even more. He tried to forget all about Izaya and have fun with his new trustworthy friends though. He swore to himself that he'd never return to Izaya, no matter what was done.

Meanwhile, as Masaomi had fun being surrounded by tons of people that he now called friends, Izaya was anything but happy or his usual self and he didn't like. He didn't like it one bit. Soon after Masaomi had stopped giving him the cold shoulder and glaring at him with such hatred in his eyes in favor of just simply ignoring his existence, Izaya began to feel a tad bit lonely without the blonde there with him or paying any attention to him. When Masaomi still trusted him, the two of them had fun, sure they weren't as fun sounding as the adventures Masaomi had with the others – Izaya had seen pictures and heard plenty of those experiences – but they had fun nonetheless. When the blonde had learned the truth, he was angry yes, but he still gave Izaya the attention he desired, sometimes even getting into heated arguments with him. Lately, with the blonde ignoring his presence altogether, even when Izaya purposely got in the blonde's way, Izaya could feel loneliness creep in like never before. He shrugged it off as being bored and not having anyone to mess with, but when he saw the blonde smiling and laughing with everyone else, he knew that it wasn't just boredom.

He was jealous.

He hated to admit it, but it was true, even he knew as much. He was jealous that everyone else except for _him_ got the see the blonde laugh and smile. He was jealous that those smiles weren't a result of _him_. He was jealous of how close everyone could get to the blonde right off the bat. You had no idea how many times he felt like killing someone when Aoba would surprise jump-hug the blonde from behind demanding a piggyback ride, or whenever Rocchi would casually throw his arm over the blonde's shoulder and arrange 'dates' with the blonde – by 'dates' they meant fun little adventures that probably weren't safe.

Izaya wanted the blonde back with him, but he didn't exactly know why. Why would he want the blonde back if his plan was done and over? It's not like the blonde would trust him enough to be capable of tricking him again, so why? Why was Izaya feeling this need to have the blonde back at his side? He didn't know and it irked him. It irked him how he didn't know. It irked him how the blonde didn't seem to be feeling in any way similarly. It irked him how Masaomi was having so much fun without him. It irked him…It just irked him.

"You're in love with him." Mairu and Kururi had told him one night after seeing their big brother have a temper tantrum once seeing Masaomi come home late again, having been spending time with the others and loosing track of time. Of course, Izaya scoffed and waved their claim away, saying that he loved all of humanity equally and how Masaomi was no exception to that. "If that's the case, then why are you acting this way? You feel jealous when you see Masaomi with everyone else having fun, right?"

"…That's not love, dear sister."

"Then what is it, Iza-nii? If not love, then what is it? You've never acted this way before, right? Tell me, what is it?" Izaya went silent in thought; surely he couldn't be in love with Masaomi. He surely couldn't have really fallen in love with the blonde when he had been pretending, right? All those accidental slips of affectionate words were purely accidental, right? They weren't what he really felt, right? "That's right. You're in love with him. You had fallen in love with him for real when you had just been pretending all this time. All those accidental slips were what you really felt." Izaya was alarmed with how well the two could read him then, he must really be off his game if they could read him. Was this also because of Masaomi? Couldn't be…

"It is because of Masa-nii. Without him, you're starting to lose yourself. You want him to be yours and yours only, right? Seeing him act so friendly with the others pisses you off, right? That's because you're in love and jealous of the others—"

"I'm not in love with Masaomi! I'm not jealous of everyone else! What do you two know about love and jealousy?! I'm just—just—Damn it!" Seeing their older brother, who is normally so calm and composed, angered and about to lose his shit, startled the two. Sure, they saw his temper tantrum earlier, but it still surprised them. That's what had them thinking that maybe Izaya really did love Masaomi. When Masaomi and Izaya were hanging out together, they saw a side of their brother they hadn't really seen before. He was calm and happy, it seemed. He enjoyed himself, teasing the blonde, having fun with the blonde, just being with Masaomi in general. It no longer seemed like he was just trying to fool Masaomi. Sometime, during the months that Izaya knew Masaomi, he fell in love for real. Even if he didn't want to. And Mairu and Kururi were determined to make Izaya realize that and go win Masaomi's heart over again.

"You're right; we don't know much about love and jealousy. But right now, we're positive that you are in love with him. We've never seen you act like this before because of someone. We've never seen you act so sincerely with someone before. Therefore, we believe it is love. What else could you be feeling? We just want to help you and Masa-nii…" Izaya frowned, but took their words in, thinking it all over once more. Was he really in love? What did he know about love? How was he supposed to know that he was in love? He thought back on all those people he knew that were in love, how they acted. Then he thought about he felt and acted when Masaomi was around. He felt free, allowed to be himself and sincere. Never in his life had he felt the way that did when with Masaomi, so maybe…Maybe it was love after all.

"…How do I win him back?" Mairu and Kururi grinned, giving him the thumbs back, saying in perfect harmony, "Leave it to us!"

_I will get you back, Masaomi. I will apologize, telling you how I really feel. I just hope that I'm not too late…_

_DuRaRaRa!_

It turns out; finding a way to apologize and get the blonde's forgiveness was harder than Izaya originally anticipated. Especially when said blonde was always avoiding and ignoring him. Oh, and not to mention always out and about, hanging out and doing something crazy no doubt. It frustrated Izaya. Mairu and Kururi, who were supposed to be helping him get the blonde's forgiveness, were completely and utterly useless to him. They said they were coming up with a grand plan, but were really just fooling around and doing nothing to help. Which frustrated Izaya even more. Izaya figured that if he wanted anything to happen, he'd have to come up with his own plan, so he thought and thought, trying to come up with something that would win the blonde's forgiveness without a problem. That, too, turned out to be more difficult than anticipated.

Finally, on April 15th, Izaya had his plan ready and was putting it into motion that day. All that needed to be done now was get a few ladies to help him with his plan, which may or may not turn into a complete utter failure. He just hoped that they were willing to talk to him and believe him…. Which he doubted, but would deal with when it came to that.

He found the ladies he needed to talk with in the cafeteria, sitting with Masaomi unfortunately, but never mind that, he needed to do this and therefore he would. Casually walking up to the group, he tapped the females on the shoulder – they just so happened to be sitting directly in front of Masaomi, therefore Izaya ended up catching the no doubt suspicious blonde's attention as well, Izaya merely ignored the curious stare coming from the blonde that was causing him so much trouble and continued on, "Saki, Namie, sorry to disturb your lunch, but you see, I need to speak with you both, if you wouldn't mind."

"Speak with us both? About what exactly? It better be something good since you're disturbing our lunch time and my time with _my_ Seiji." Namie angrily spoke, narrowing her eyes in suspicion towards Izaya, never having really liked him in the first place, "…Seems as though you haven't changed, Namie. Good to know. Anyways, if it'll satisfy your suspicion, it'll only take a minute or two and can be done here. Shinra asked myself to let you two know that he wanted the three of us to help him after school with something. Don't even bother asking me, I don't have a clue what it is. He wouldn't tell me either, no matter how much I pried. He said he chose the three of us since he trusts us and knows that we are actually capable of getting the job done. Whatever it may be."

"Hell no, I have a scheduled date with Seiji after school. Do it yourself, Izaya."

"Alright, but just so you know, he said that anyone who fails to show up will be severely punished. For you, he may just ban you from seeing your beloved Seiji by switching your schedule around. So, if I were you, I'd come to the science room after school. Later then." Without waiting for the two girls to notify him that they would come, he began to walk off, knowing for a fact that they would show up just by their expression and body language.

Now, he just needed to talk to Shinra about this, which he could easily do through text, besides it would save him suspicion and possibly getting caught, since Mika enjoys putting her cameras all over the school for some odd reasons. His text to Shinra consisted of telling the male what he needed done. Which was for Shinra to play along with his lie and tell the two nothing about his job for them, only to tell them to come after school and they'd see. Shinra responded soon afterwards, telling Izaya that he'd go along with the plan, just as long as he didn't have to stay after school, which Izaya agreed with. This successfully knocked out another obstacle in Izaya's plan. After having Shinra agree to his plan, he told the male to stay in his classroom the entire day until he arrived. Telling the male to make sure he locked the door and put a do not disturb sign on, to keep Mika out and make sure she didn't put any cameras to spy on him. Shinra complained, but of course, agreed to comply with his wishes, thankfully and as expected.

When school had finished, Izaya casually made his way to the science room, not even bothering to check if Namie and Saki were doing the same. Izaya tried the doorknob, to make it look as though he didn't expect it to be locked, when he really did. When it was deemed locked, he knocked, Shinra coming out from the teacher's lounge which was just down the hall, giving Izaya the key, and then running off screaming, "Celty!" Once inside the room, Izaya sat himself down atop Shinra's desk, casually pulling Shinra's laptop out and hacking into the school's cameras, to find out where everyone was. The first person he found himself searching for was Masaomi, oddly enough. He soon found Masaomi walking off campus with Rocchi and Aoba, much to Izaya's annoyance. After that, he just looked around aimlessly, observing the area around the school in boredom as he waited for the two girls to arrive, which much to his relief, they arrived soon after he finished watching Masaomi walk off in a non-creeper way.

"Ah, you finally arrived, about time—Oh? Looks as though we have an unexpected guest. Do tell me, what are you doing here, dear Rio?" Izaya asked, shutting Shinra's laptop and placing it gently back down as the three girls walked in closer, "I just thought that I'd help these two with whatever it is they need to do. There's nothing wrong with that, is there? So tell me, what are we supposed to do? Where even is Mr. Kishitani?" Rip asked, looking around the room with her arms crossed in a bored manner.

Izaya frowned, thinking about whether or not he should just add her into his plan. It wouldn't hurt, right? Oh, but he really didn't trust her. "Looks like you caught me; there really was nothing Shinra needed our help in. Good for you Rio, aren't you so smart." Namie narrowed her eyes, "So you were lying! Fine, then I'm leaving!" Namie turned to leave, but before she could even make it to the door, Izaya was there blocking their exit, "Not so fast, I didn't call you all out here for nothing, now did I? You see, I need your assistance. I guess Rio could help too since she seems so determined to help you two."

"What do you need our help with this time, Izaya?" Saki asked, getting straight to the point before anyone could start arguing and wasting time, as she had a feeling everyone would. "Quick to get to the point and avoid conflict, eh Saki? Glad to see that you haven't changed either. Anyways, I want the two—or three of you if Rio decides to help, to help me get back Masaomi's trust. I need you girls to help me fix our bond. Sounds simple enough, right?"

"Why do you want his trust back?" Saki questioned, suspicion growing but not calling them out yet. Namie on the other hand, began with her suspicion, "Do you want the kid's trust back so that you can betray him again? Is that it?" Izaya shook his head, but didn't look the slightest offended, since he expected that honestly, "No, that's actually not true. You see…" Izaya fell silent, not knowing how to put his feelings for the blonde into words, after all he still had a hard time admitting that he was in love.

"You're in love with Masaomi, correct?" Rio said for him, a small smile playing on her lips. Her words surprised everyone. Izaya, who didn't expect her of all people to know, Namie, who didn't believe that Izaya would love anyone unless it was humanity as a whole, and then finally, Saki who surprised for the same reason as Namie, just a bit less harsher. The three female's pointed their attention towards the older male in expectation, he avoided eye contact, nodding, "You…could say that." And that was all the confirmation they needed before they went crazy on him – hey, they believed him right away because of how awkward he looked and how he looked like a deer in headlights.

"I knew it! My women intuition told me awhile back, but I couldn't believe it! I can't wait to tell Non, she didn't believe me!" Rio excitedly shouted, seeming happy about being right about Izaya.

"I can't believe. Orihara freaking Izaya is in love. I knew that Kida was special, but I didn't know that he'd make the devil fall in love with him! That poor kid…" Namie spoke, cradling her head in her hands, almost like this was some bad nightmare that she was having.

"I knew that Masaomi was special to you. I had my doubts, but… I had a feeling that he wasn't just some other human." Saki spoke, seemingly the only person who was calm and didn't insult him in the process.

"Is the fact that I'm in love really all that shocking?" He spoke with annoyance clear in his voice, wondering why oh why he chose Namie for help. He was also wondering why on Earth fate made it so that Rio came too. Those two were giving him a headache already. Saki…was better, since she didn't explode in his face. She was always the calm one of the group who didn't put anything against anyone. That's probably why he took a liking to her in the first place and allowed her to stick around without bothering her.

Namie and Rio just shouted a whole bunch of gibberish that Izaya couldn't really understand, but sure made him regret ever asking his question. Saki, who felt sympathetic for all the crazy attention Izaya was getting, giggled and responded so that he could understand, "We're just surprised since you always claimed that you were in love with all humans, not just one. I guess we're also surprised that it's Masaomi who you fell in love with. I can understand why you chose him though. There's something about him, huh? He's friendly, honest, outgoing, silly yet serious when necessary…He's the type of person that everyone wants to be and be friends with. You made a great choice, Izaya! I'll help you to the best of my ability!"

Namie and Rio, who had apparently calmed down while Izaya had his attention on Saki, shared a look before nodding their heads in agreement, "If Saki's helping, we might as well help too. You have our support. Just note that if you hurt him in any way, we'll come after you personally and spill your guts, giving it to Dokusonmaru to eat. Actually, scratch that, we don't think that the little fella would actually like it and we don't want to poison them, or else we'll get skewered."

Izaya looked anything but amused, of course they would threaten him, not that he cared too much, "Alright, great. I appreciate your help you guys. Now, what should I do?"

Silence fell across the room, before Namie shouted, "You don't have a plan!? What the hell, Izaya are you in your right mind?!" Izaya clicked his tongue in annoyance, "I should ask if _you_ are in your right mind."

"Why you—"

"You guys, let's not fight, okay? What Namie meant by that was she was surprised because you always have a plan. Try not to take offense to what she said." In respect of Saki's wishes, he turned away from Namie stubbornly, answering the unasked question, "Well, it's not my fault I don't have a plan. Trust me, I tried so many times to apologize and tell him, but he just kept ignoring me and leaving. Then he was never home, always out and about. That's why I wanted to talk to you girls, to get some advice and help if needed. Mairu and Kururi were supposed to offer assistance, but those two are too damn busy being lazy."

"That makes more sense, doesn't it Namie? Now, as for what you should do to let Masaomi know…I think the two of you will just have to sit down for a chat. The three of us can probably arrange that somehow…" Saki began planning, looking to the other two for assistance. Rio nodded her head in agreement to what Saki said, continuing, "Yeah, we can probably get him to meet us somewhere and really have the two of you meeting, but where…?" Rio looked to Namie for assistance, which she offered with a frown, "The park or school is what I'm thinking. Or maybe we can get him to meet us at his place." The three girls gave their ideas, looking towards Izaya to see whether he agreed with their plans or not.

"So you three will arrange for him to meet up at his place, then I come in instead of you three and during that time I can tell him? If he lets me talk that is. He may just ignore me again…" The girls nodded, each raising a brow as to ask, "Will that work for you?" which he nodded to, "That will work. Well, I'll allow you girls to talk to him. Let me know what time, okay? Try and see if you can arrange for it sometime tomorrow. Sound doable?" They all nodded in confirmation, before giving brief words of parting, each texting each other ideas on what to say to Masaomi and who would ask.

Izaya left a little after them, as he walked, he spoke to himself, "I guess I'll just have to leave it to the girls to arrange…I know that they'll succeed in getting me time to talk with him. I just need to figure out how exactly I'll tell him…"

As Izaya thought, he spotted the blonde hanging out with Aoba and his crew, which upset Izaya of course but he ignored it for now, knowing that he would have Masaomi back soon…

_DuRaRaRa!_

The following day, Izaya had received a text from Saki, telling him that they were scheduled to meet with Masaomi around noon, which gave Izaya plenty of time to figure out what he would say to Masaomi. Or so he thought…With ten minutes remaining until the scheduled meet time, Izaya was pacing back and forth, trying to figure out how he would approach the subject. Never in his life, had he had such a hard time as he currently was. Mairu and Kururi just snickered at his panicked state, resulting in him chasing them around in anger, which left him five minutes until the scheduled time. Ignoring the snickering girls who were hanging upside down on the stairwell like monkeys, he made his way out of the house and next door, walking up the front steps and ringing the door bell. The entire ordeal gave him a sense of déjà vu and nostalgia from the first time they met.

Masaomi soon came over to open the door, grinning expecting Saki to be there, "Hey Sa—Izaya? What are you doing here?" His cheerful voice took a cold turn towards the end, when he realized who it exactly was that he was talking too.

Upon hearing his name spoken, Izaya allowed a small smile to appear, finding Masaomi's voice to bring his mood up and cause him to relax, "Hello to you too, Masaomi. May I come in?" Said blonde didn't respond, just tensed up in his spot, looking like he wanted to ask why, "I just want to talk. Don't worry, it'll only take a minute…or eleven." Biting on the inside of his jaw, he stepped to the side, allowing the male in – if he were asked why, he'd just say it was because he couldn't stand the heat coming from outside, when in reality, he was curious on what Izaya wanted to talk about.

Izaya seated himself down on the couch, grabbing Masaomi's cup of juice from the table and taking a sip himself, ignoring the annoyed look the blonde gave him for stealing his juice, "If you wanted some juice, you could have asked and I'd have given you a cup." Izaya chuckled, sending the blonde an innocent smile, "But it's tastier from your cup." The blonde scoffed, sitting down on the coffee table that was in front of Izaya with a serious look on his features, "Well? What did you want to talk about? I don't have all day you know."

Izaya frowned, reaching over towards Masaomi to set the cup down, taking note of how upon getting closer, the blonde tensed again, "First, take off that scary serious look. You're acting as though I'm going to attack. I told you, didn't I? I just want to talk." Masaomi hesitantly complied for the most part, motioning for Izaya to talk, "...I—" Izaya fell silent, not knowing what to say exactly, he didn't know how to explain his feelings to the blonde who wouldn't even look at him for a full minute, "You…?"

"Are you still mad at me, Masaomi?"

"What type of question is that? Of course I am! You tricked me! And for what? For your own twisted enjoyment! You…You betrayed my trust, Izaya." Izaya fell silent once again, allowing a sigh to escape his lips before he began saying what it was he wanted to, "I'm sorry about tricking you, Masaomi. In the time that you had been ignoring me, I found myself regretting my actions. I missed your company honestly. Seeing you act so happy with the others gave me a sense of jealousy and longing, as much as I hate to admit." The blonde looked skeptical to believe what was being said, but refrained from commenting, "Of course, I don't expect you to believe me, especially after what happened. But I felt that I wanted you to know how I felt."

"…Is that all you wanted to say?" At this point, Masaomi wouldn't even look at him for a second; he kept his head aimed down at his lap, finding it more interesting so it would seem, "No, I'm not done yet. There's….There's one more thing that I want to say, if you'll allow me to." Masaomi remained silent and Izaya took that as his signal to go ahead, but he didn't know how to say this. Did he just flat out tell Masaomi that he held romantic feelings for the blonde or what? For being a person of words, Izaya sure sucked at them right then and there. Therefore, he decided to rely on actions instead.

Leaning in close, he grabbed the blonde's chin and tilted it up so that Masaomi was forced to look at him effectively startling the blonde who wasn't expecting that, "I love you, Masaomi." Without waiting for anything else, Izaya smashed his lips against Masaomi's gently, allowing the blonde room to push him away if he felt like it. But Masaomi didn't pull away or push Izaya away. Whether it was because he was shocked Izaya didn't know. Hesitantly pulling away, Izaya looked at Masaomi in need of an answer, but Masaomi avoided eye contact once again, "Masaomi…?"

"…Liar. You're just saying that to win my trust back, aren't you? You don't really love me, you said so yourself before didn't you? Why would you suddenly have a change of heart? It just doesn't make any sense. You're trying to confuse me again, right? That's all, right—"

"No, that's where you're wrong, Masaomi. I told you that back then when I didn't know my own feelings. After having you leave me though, that's when I found out. Well, actually Mairu and Kururi had to tell me since I was so dense, but those are details that aren't important right now. When you were gone and wouldn't talk to me, I realized that I actually fell in love with you when I was supposed to be pretending. Without you, I couldn't function properly and like I said, I was jealous of everyone else."

"…That may be true, but I still can't believe you. I swore to myself that I wouldn't be tricked, so…"

Izaya began to panic, desperately trying to think of something that would have Masaomi believe him. Something, anything, anything would do, just as long as he didn't lose the blonde again… "Hey, do you remember?" Masaomi furrowed his brows in confusion, "Remember what?"

"You owe me a favor. Actually, you owe me three if memory serves me right."

"Three favors? What are you talking about?" Masaomi raises his head, confused on the sudden topic change and curious on what Izaya was talking about, he doesn't remember anything that would make him owe Izaya, "You don't remember? How cruel. The first favor was during your first day at Raira, I helped you with that science vocabulary, remember? I saved you from making a complete and utter fool of yourself in front of everyone on your first day, but really you had nothing to worry about since that was a higher level word than what you were supposed to be learning about. Shinra just wanted to test you—"

"Are you serious?! I worried and panicked for nothing?!"

Ignoring the blonde's outburst and interruption, he continued on, "The second time was when you asked me to tell Mikado to get you sushi for you, remember that? I do."

"That—"

"The final time was when you and Aoba were having that bet about how long Neko could go without cats, do you remember that one? You asked me to help you win, which I did try and help you. Although, I can't seem to remember if you won or not…Either way, that's three favors you owe me." Masaomi opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water, before shouting, "That's stupid! I shouldn't owe you a favor because of that!"

"If I do recall, I told you that you would owe me and you agreed. Therefore, I have my favor ready, would you like to hear it or shall we argue about this more?" Pouting, Masaomi mumbled for Izaya to go on and say what his favor was, causing Izaya to grin, "I want you to believe me when I tell you that I love you and that I regret my decision. Do you still love me? If so," Izaya grabbed Masaomi's hands with his own, intertwining their fingers, "Stay with me forever and I promise you, I'll never treat you wrongly again…"

Masaomi gulped, shaking and taking a deep breath, "I never pegged you to be the cheesy cliché type."

"Was it really cheesy and cliché?"

"It sounded like it to me." Izaya laughed, "I guess I'm cheesy and cliché then."

Masaomi rested his forehead against Izaya's, "…Do you really mean all that? Can I…Can I really trust you?" Izaya gave a sound of confirmation, "Saki told you, didn't she? My information is never false. I, Orihara Izaya, mean all that. Now, I won't say you can completely trust me and I won't tell you too, no one can. Sometimes I can't even trust myself. But I'm telling you the truth right now and I shall do my best to continue to do so. If you'll allow me to."

"…Alright, I believe you and I'll stay with you. But just so you know, trick me again and I'll kick your ass. Vorona and Rocchi taught me how to fight properly. They've been giving me lessons and just in case you didn't know, they can _fight_." Masaomi shuddered at the memory of his very first beating, causing Izaya to laugh, "Trust me, I know and won't plan on angering you."

"Good. 'Cause I'm afraid that I may break my hand." Izaya laughed, before pecking the blonde on the lips…

Izaya was just glad that everything worked out in the end, sure it did seem a bit cliché and all, but he couldn't be happier. He'd have to thank the girls properly later…He can't even begin to think about what they'd all want in return. He was slightly worried about what Namie would ask for… But that's a concern for another time…For now; he'd just enjoy sometime with Masaomi, oh how he missed the blonde…

_DuRaRaRa!_

After Masaomi and Izaya fixed their relationship, they decided on becoming a legitimate romantic duo, but even though, they acted the same as they did before the whole crazy fiasco. It almost seemed as though nothing had ever happened to begin with. The only thing that really changed was that out of nowhere, Izaya would spring a kiss on the blonde, embarrassing Masaomi and causing cat-whistles and groans of annoyance from everyone else. Masaomi continued to hang out with his friends as well as Izaya. Izaya continued to be an ass, Shizuo continued trying to kill him. Life returned back to normal, if you could even call it normal. To celebrate Masaomi and Izaya's relationship, Izaya somehow managed to convince everyone to attend a hotpot at his house – he secretly had always been wanting one and figured now would be a good time as ever to have one, thus…

In twenty minutes, everyone would arrive for said hotpot….

In fifteen minutes, Izaya would start taunting Shizuo, only to have them begin fighting…

In fourteen minutes, Masaomi would come over and cease the fighting…

In ten minutes, everyone would sit down and eat…

In eight minutes, Masaomi will start a food fight…

In five minutes, everyone will get involved in said food fight…

In zero minutes, life returns to normal as this story comes to an end…

* * *

**And this story finally comes to an end. This was my first story compared to all those terrible one-shots I wrote. And to be completely honest, I never had a clue what I was doing with this story, I created it and published it on a whim. I actually considering deleting it, but saw that there were actually some people who liked it so decided to keep it and continue on. I apologize if the end or the story in general seemed a bit rushed and/or confusing. I just want to give a huge thanks to those of you who stayed with me until the very end, no matter how long I took to update. Another big thanks to those of you who took time to review and/or favorite/follow my story. Receiving feedback had to really be the thing I loved most. It'd mean a lot to me if you left me one last review telling me your thoughts, but that's up to you guys. Uhh, what else, what else? Um, if you guys have any writing requests, message me and we'll discuss it I guess or if you have any questions? It was nice writing this for you guys, until next time I suppose! c:**


End file.
